Resistance: Aftermath
by Miles Depth
Summary: The third and final piece of the Resistance Series. In the aftermath of of their success, the Freedom Fighters find them selves with more problems than they anticipated. Things only get worse when they discover one of their own has gone missing. What remains of the Resistance will have to work together or risk everything they fought for.
1. What Makes You Tick

The obligatory stuff:

None of the Sega & DiC characters are mine, I don't in any way claim that they are. The ideas and dialog however, are mine and not representative of Sega, Archie, or DiC and their opinions or views. Ideas, characters such as Jake, and the plot are mine. All are free to use by anyone and everyone because that's what FanFiction is about. Again ideas and dialog in this story are mine and represent my work using copyrighted characters.

**A few important things about this story.**

Resistance: Aftermath is the third story in a series. It should be fun to read by itself, but there is a lot of plot points that may be lost on anyone just joining now.

Resistance is the first story in the series, and subsequently is slightly weaker given then I wasn't nearly as strong of a writer when I wrote it (my own opinion). Resistance also directly precedes this story chronologically even though Resistance: Futile was the second story in the series. What this means is that if you're interested in jumping in, you only need to read the first story (Resistance) to understand what's happening in this one. Resistance: Futile can be read at your leisure as it precedes Resistance.

**A few important things about this series.**

The Resistance series takes place in a fictional world of my own devise. I ignore most precedents in terms of world and setting provided by Archie, Sega or Dic in favor of creating my own. I wanted to write a story about how the characters would act in a war against Julian Kintobor (Robotnik) in a more familiar setting where humans are still part of every day life. The timeframe is set not that far into the future and yet should in many ways seem older (think 90's era infrastructure with tech from 100 years from now). Populations of people depending on their location will act differently. This is also true for characters based on their past and current situations. In short what I am saying is that people may seem OOC, but that is because I am interpreting how they would act given the world and scenarios I am putting them in. I don't like to build a world around predefined notions about characters because it forces too many things.

**For anyone that's still with me after all this time.**

This story is for you guys. I have loved all of your support. I'm sorry it's taken me this long to continue the series, but here it is. Hopefully a few of you are still around to read it!

**Help me be a better writer.**

I strive to be a better writer every day. I welcome any and all critiquing, and yes that includes you grammar nazis. Let me know what I can do better, what you liked and what you didn't.

**Enjoy the story!**

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><p>He watched himself in the reflection of her eyes. It was easy to get lost in their endless abyss. Wrapping his paws around the small of her back, he pulled her close. The mellow sound of her breathing was hypnotic and before the Mobian could whisper more lies, he was asleep in the warmth of her arms.<p>

Darkness grew while a chilly plague of bleakness surrounded him, swallowing him whole. It had the makings of a landscape created by a fear-fueled imagination. Nothing was the same, nothing was how it had been. He was still unsure how he had gotten here, but the vertigo of waking back into what he hoped was a more forgiving groggy reality was quick to make itself present.

Fatigue was not a feeling he was familiar with. Moving felt like it was through quick sand, smothering his momentum with every inch gained. Just putting together the thought to reach out into the blackness was tiring, let alone lifting an arm. Like his nightmares, there was no escape from the suffocating gloom that worked against him at every turn.

_Where the hell am I?_ The questions finally surfaced in his muddled mind.

Tracing his steps backwards wasn't as easy as he had hoped. Memories turned into a grey static that hurt to recall.

_Am I still dreaming?_

It would have been the easy answer, but there was no way to tell, his body was numb. When the Mobian's arm finally made it beyond where his eyes could see, the tug of cold steel and the rattle of chains were there to greet him. His back tingled in pain; it was locked tightly against a moist concrete surface.

"What?" he stammered, trying with all his might to say just the one-syllable word.

Despite the haze in his vision, a silhouette appeared in the distance as a solitary overhead light flickered into existence amidst a halogen-powered frenzy. A stuttered electric hum accompanied the entrance, complimented only by the stranger snapping his fingers in time with a growing rhythm.

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><p>Lyrics used below are not mine. I will occasionally mix in music to change things up a bit (for my own sanity really), but overall it's rare.<p>

Now Playing: _Paper Trails _By: _DARKSIDE_

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><p>The first words the man uttered were too garbled for his senses to grasp. As the figure drew nearer, shuffling with a delightful step, another light snapped on, bringing his illusive figure closer still.<p>

"I told you I would get you," the voice sang in time with the melody. "The back of the hand."

Sweat was running down his brow, the tone of this shadow was one that inspired fear even if he couldn't place why.

"I told you I would find you," the person sang before clicking their heels together, "a place to go."

_This isn't the type of place I would want to go._

"The grass is green but the , the sun is blue," the seemingly jolly man went on in giddy way.

There was no sun or grass to speak of, just a fleeting darkness being replaced by a the dim glow of florescent bulbs. Apprehension began to course through his blood with each new light that blinked into being. The sound of the stranger's voice only helped paint the round figure whose dance like steps brought him closer and closer.

"Better find a way, to get through to you."

_You have my attention, _he thought before testing the quality of his restraints again. Even if he hadn't been drugged, there was little chance of escape. _This isn't a dream,_ the Mobian finally realized as a new wave of panic bit into his nerves.

At just five feet a way, the man finally broke away from his song, "What's the matter, hedgehog? Don't recognize me?"

_It can't be._

When the last light sprang to life overhead, Julian pressed his bulbous nose into Sonic's face, narrowing his gaze into the defeated Mobian's eyes.

"Don't look so surprised. Did you honestly think you could kill me?" he spat with confidence.

The hedgehog was admittedly scared to speak, he was talking to a dead man after all.

"They put a bullet in your head," Sonic managed through a still numb tongue.

"Well it depends on what your view of 'my head' is," the deranged dictator began. "It was at one point, 'my head,' just not anymore."

Any attempt he made at hiding his look of awe was moot, the doctor saw through it plainly.

"It's a marvelous thing, technology," Julian went on. "Wouldn't you agree?"

Sonic looked away, refusing to meet the mad man's eyes. However, the slimy grip of the overturned dictator's fingers grasped his mussel, forcing him to face an evil he thought gone from the world.

"Don't you want to know how I did it?"

With a quick inhale, the hedgehog spit in his face, making his answer quite clear.

"Tasteless creature," the man grumbled, using his sleeve to wipe the saliva away from his face. "Have you no curiosity?"

Sonic remained defiant, maintaining his silence in the presence of an arrogance greater than his own.

"Then perhaps I'll just show you," Kintobor went on, motioning to the walls surrounding them as power brought more lights to his left to life.

A loss for words was not a common thing for the hedgehog, but for the first time in a long time he was speechless. Large tubes lined the walls, each with its very own gelatinous husk of a man floating inside. They appeared lifeless, their skin pale and eyes hollow.

"Clones?" Sonic asked in a way that suggested Julian had cheated.

The fat man chuckled deeply, "If only it were that simple. What good is a clone? It doesn't think like me, it doesn't have my memories; it quite simply, isn't me. BUT!" he emphasized raising a finger into the air, "genetically they're me, made of the same parts. If only there was a way to transfer for those things that make us so uniquely human."

"Roboticization," the Mobian whispered with a small amount of astonishment.

Tails and Sally had explained it to him countless times and he still didn't quite get it. What he did however understand was that it made you a computer, and computers could share and transfer information.

"What was that hedgehog? Did I hear you say Roboticization? More clever than you look, aren't you?" Julian chided as he strutted around, hands folded behind his back with pride. "My demonstration that night was not the first time I roboticized myself. That was just to show what could be done."

_He's insane,_ Sonic thought, staring wide-eyed at his captor.

Tapping his skull Kintobor continued, "No, I turned this into a machine first. Aside from unlocking my potential, I was also able to back up my entire consciousness. After that all I had to was download myself into a new body."

"But…" Sonic began, "It's still not really you."

"Isn't it? What are we but our memories, Sonic? What are we but a collection of experiences, emotion, and desires?" the man asked, stretching out his robotic arm to admire his work, "this feels like me."

The thought had never occurred to him. Could the memories make up the totality of a person? If boiled down to nothing but their consciousness is that all that would remain?

_Isn't there something more?_

But there he stood, as evil as ever, the sneer that crept up his rosy cheeks looking sinister and mysterious. It was hard to deny that this was Julian Kintobor.

"No," he finally muttered, denying the facts as they appeared before him. "Fiona killed you."

"Believe whatever you like, hedgehog. It won't help you, no matter how stubborn you are."

Sonic tugged at the chains again, but it was pointless. He could feel the IV line in his arm, pumping him full of what felt like sedatives. His strength was gone, his mind on the fleeting edge of consciousness.

"And I am so glad you brought up those foxes. I have added some space down here just for them," Julian said gruffly while motioning to the free shackles next to Sonic. "Ordinarily I wouldn't waste my time with such pathetic creatures, but they made things personal when they killed me."

The hedgehog almost laughed when he heard Kintobor say it so nonchalantly. "What did you expect after you got between them? I did that once and it nearly got me killed…" Sonic trailed off.

"I fed her, clothed her, gave her free reign of my country!" the mad man roared. "And how does she thank me? With a bullet. What kind of gratitude is that!? And as for my little brat of a nephew taking sides with Naugus… well I am sure I can find some more room down here."

"Good luck catching them," the hedgehog scoffed.

"Colin," he laughed, "That sniveling buffoon would piss himself dry if he knew I was alive. As for the foxes, I am not that worried about it, I caught you didn't I?"

Sonic gulped, Julian had caught him, and he still wasn't sure how. His memory was a distant thing still.

"Miles weakness is the same as yours, the girl. So pathetic you let some inconsequential emotion get you killed."

"Look who's talking," the Mobian laughed, "look where greed got you."

The foxes had persevered through more than anyone could imagine and it was only because of the love for each other that they were able to survive long enough to get the revenge they both desired.

"You felt so safe that I was able pluck you right from where you sleep whilst your lover lay next to you."

"Sally? What did you do with her!?" the Freedom Fighter screamed at the top of his lungs, his flesh tearing as he tugged at the irons with an adrenalin fueled rage.

Kintobor began to chuckle, clearly amused with himself, "The princess is just fine… for now. She's not the one I was talking about."

Sonic gulped, _how did he find out about that? Was she in on it too?_

"Your affinity for the pink hedgehog amuses me. Such an obnoxious creature, even you must agree."

"You leave Amy out of this!"

His relationship with her was complicated at the very least and it certainly explained how Julian had gotten to him. The pink hedgehog's tattered apartment was in the heart of the Capital City.

"No need to waste your breath, I don't have the time or patience to waste on her. Although I do wonder how the princess feels about this romance."

Sonic remained quiet, stewing in his own pity and self loathing.

"Of course," the dictator laughed, "just as I suspected, she doesn't know."

Amy had been an accident. She had been there when Sally wasn't. The princess had a way of freezing him out, but the warmth in pink hedgehog's smile never dulled. His only regret was not ending it before it got out of hand. Sonic often found himself sneaking away to see her. It had become his guilty pleasure.

"What do you want Kintobor?"

"Kintobor is dead," the man snapped back, "you may address me as Doctor Robotnik."

In his groggy state, Sonic twirled the letters around in his head.

_R-o-b-o-t-n-i-k—K-i-n-t-o-b-o-r_… _Backwards, he spelled his name backwards. _

"You're joking right?" the Freedom Fighter asked sarcastically.

The mad man laughed as he stretch out his robotic arm again, letting it glimmer in the light, "I find it a bit more fitting now, don't you?"

Sonic fought the urge to spit in his face again, "let's just get this over with Robobutt."

"Patience!" the overthrown dictator scowled. "Your time will come. I have plans for you, so get comfortable."

"Patience isn't my strong suit, doc," the hedgehog dared to tease him, knowing now that his life was strangely important to the deranged man.

"So quick aren't you? No time to stop and think, let alone sit still. I am going to figure out what makes you tick, hedgehog. A few needle pricks here, and a few exploratory surgeries there. I will wear you down until everything that you are is mine, Sonic. Your limitless speed will be nothing more than feature for me to harness."

"I'll die first."

"I know, I know," Robotnik said as he looked to the shadows on his left, "but I'll be sure to take of you until I'm done."

Following the man's gaze Sonic could only make out the telltale silhouettes of the large test tubes. Squinting, the hedgehog attempted to pry into the darkness, but his unadjusted vision was useless in these dreary conditions.

_What's' he hiding?_

"This is going to be so much fun," the doctor said with an uncomfortable amount of joy.

They trained for this, but nothing about torture struck Sonic as fun.

"Forget Capital City, I'll take all of Mobius."

Sonic was still quiet. He had lost the will to speak. Tails had made his mistake, but it was starting to look as if Sonic's would have larger and farther reaching consequences. Now it remained to be seen whether, like the two-tailed fox, he could fix it.

"I'll be sure to give the princess your regards, Sonic," Julian said before turning around.

"You're not going to get away with this. You know that right?"

"But I already have. Good night, Sonic," the man waved as the overhead lights faded.

The icy cold feeling of a narcotic began to flood his veins, entering through the needle in his arm, bringing with it the warmth of sleep. His conscious was whisked away into the darkness again.


	2. Do You Trust Me

"Do you trust me?" the squirrel asked, a sincere smile on her face.

_Do I have a choice?_

Sally hadn't exactly made the fox's life easier since she arrived. The Princess had wanted the vixen dead since she had fallen into Kintobor's hands.

"No," Fiona replied rather bluntly, settling into a posture of folded arms.

_Why give her the satisfaction? Either of them! _She thought more forcefully before shifting her gaze to the right of the squirrel. Sonic stared back with a look of contempt. Out of anyone he had been the least welcoming, but perhaps that's because Fiona had managed to shoot him.

_I only grazed you,_ she longed to say out loud, but was still very afraid to mention that day ever again.

Sally nodded before leaning back in her chair, "I assumed as much. Could I at least have your cooperation?"

Glancing over at the two-tailed fox next to her, the former Dominion agent searched his eyes for how he felt, knowing the question was as much his to answer. They were a team now, more than ever. He nodded ever so subtly, encouraging her with just the gentlest tip of his head.

"Of course," she replied, perhaps too much out of instinct for her own taste. "As long as there is some benefit for me," the vixen quickly stipulated.

For too long she had been marching to someone else's orders for next to nothing in return. _You always roll over don't you, Fiona?_ She lamented.

"How about a chance to live here," Sonic spat back rather distastefully. "You should be grateful as it is."

_Me? It's all of you that should be grateful! I was the one who killed that fat slob! _Fiona thought before remembering the cost of such a feat. Too many had died to even begin to count it as a victory, many by her paws.

"I try not to do anything doesn't advance our species," Sally responded tactfully. "I already told you when you two first arrived that there is plenty of work left to be done. More than I would like for Julian being dead anyway."

"Because of Colin?" Tails inquired, finally breaking his long held silence.

"Amongst other things," the squirrel sighed. "He is a Kintobor after all, one who shares the late Doctor's distaste for Mobians."

_She isn't wrong to be concerned._ Despite being laughably frightened of Mobians, the small balding man had an air about him that made her fur stand up.

"I thought you were concerned about Ixis?" the vixen interjected, trying to avoid the subject all together.

"I was, but if he is bending to Colin's whim then removing him won't solve many of our problems," the princess answered before pausing momentarily. "What do you know about him?"

"He's an odd one," Fiona hesitated, not quite sure how to continue. "Kintobor was always at this throat for one thing or another, pushing him to do this or that. I am not even sure where he came from, one day he was just there in Julian's office."

"And you never asked?" Sally pushed.

_What do you care where that little twerp came from?_

"When you have a bomb strapped to your neck you learn not to ask too many questions, just do what you're told."

"So that's it?" Sonic asked, snorting in an unimpressed manor. "All the good you're going to do."

It hurt to have them question her. Tails had promised her friends, but she only saw enemies.

"Ignore him," the princess said waving the hedgehog off. "Go on."

"He doesn't like Mobians," she said solemnly, knowing they wouldn't understand.

"You don't say?" came the hedgehog's accent with a sincere tone of sarcasm. "A Kintobor that doesn't like Mobians?"

"No, it's not like that," Fiona assured them. "Snively isn't like Julian. He doesn't hate us for the same reasons. He… he is afraid of us, deathly afraid. The man could never stand to be in the same room as me."

Sally shot a nervous glance at Sonic, which he ignored.

"So?" the cobalt blue freedom fighter replied.

_What does he want from me?_ Scratching the back of her head she searched her mind for anything noteworthy about an otherwise bland person.

"So, I never saw a lot of him. He was almost always in Julian's private lab working on something or another which I found rather odd for a publicist," the vixen admitted as she pondered the thought out loud. "But then again, he was smart in an uncanny way. I can't actually ever recall a time Colin was wrong… to the point where even Julian wouldn't doubt him."

_Is that how Kintobor got Roboticization working again? _The red fox asked herself. The coincidences where unsettling now that she had a reason to care.

"So what are you saying?" Sally inquired, "that he is smart?"

"That would be one way to put it. Colin would have moments of profound brilliance that were hard to describe. He would divine statistics, history, strategy and physics from nowhere. Hell, Jake once bet him twenty credits he couldn't put his gun back together. I am not sure I ever saw Jake so upset."

Everyone's eyes were still on her, as if they expected more.

"Look," the vixen exclaimed as she threw her arms up, "I spent the last four years pretending he was nothing, but if I were you," she hesitated, "I would be afraid of him."

Sally nodded in agreement, "Which is why I would like to do something about him."

"Capital City is in anarchy," the kit began, "why not let things take their course? No one is left to keep things in order. Can't we let things burn out before we get involved?"

"We could," Sally answered in such a way there was an obvious a 'but' was coming. "But, if I had to guess it's all on purpose."

"All of what?" Fiona asked, now moderately curious.

"Most people outside of Capital City won't know who either Ixis Naugus or Colin Kintobor is. If they are to be trusted by the public, they need to earn it on a national scale."

"And?" The vixen pressed.

"And if they save the city from brink of civil unrest and restore order to the entire country, then they have exactly what they need to step in to power, election or not," Miles answered for the Princess, putting things together for himself.

"Wait," Fiona paused for a moment, "but Ixis controls over half the city's underworld already. Wouldn't he be the one causing the uprisings, which would mean…"

Both of the Resistance fighters smiled as she put it together. The vixen had never contemplated such a grand scheme before, the very same kind that no doubt were at the forefront of her previous masters' minds on a daily basis.

_Naugus is going to wave his arms and make it appear as if he can make all the problems disappear… the same ones that he caused. _

"This little dynamic duo is creating a leg up over the entire electorate system. It just remains to be seen who will be the white knight to ride in and 'save us all'," Sonic mocked as he began to pace behind the squirrel.

"So you want Miles and I to deal with Ixis before he becomes a problem?" Fiona asked reluctantly.

"Actually no," Sally replied with a big smirk, "I think I have changed my mind about that. Given your history I am going to leave that to Sonic. The last thing I need is you two making another 'deal' with him. You two can track down that little imp and finish what I should have."

_What you should have? _Fiona longed to ask but didn't.

"So you don't trust us?" Tails trailed off as he too crossed his arms.

The squirrel chuckled condescendingly, "I trust you do what needs to be done."

"And when does this need to be done?" the vixen inquired.

"I think you two have had long enough of a vacation. Yesterday would have been sufficient."

A smile pursed the vixen's lips as she reflected on one of the first stress free weeks she had had in nearly a decade. Slipping away from Sally's watchful gaze the foxes had always managed to find the easier side of life. Lounging around in the desert oasis had become her new favorite past time. Yet part of her still yearned for the rubbish filled streets of her past.

Miles grumbled under his breath, "anything else?"

"Nothing messy. We don't need any more sympathy for the Kintobor's if we hope to accomplish anything meaningful."

"So don't drop him off a building?" the vixen asked playfully.

As much as she loved her new partner, Fiona still missed Jake. The last of his deeds that she knew about included throwing Snively off a skyscraper. Just picturing it brought a grin to her face.

"Not unless it looks like an accident," the squirrel remarked sternly.

"Do you really think he is going to let us find him?" Tails asked, visibly frustrated, "let alone stage some accident?"

"Not my problem," the princess replied without much of a care.

"You're smart little cuz," Sonic added, "I am sure you two will figure it out. If not you can always shoot him." The hedgehog went on as he shifted his eyes towards the vixen.

_How is he the one who gets to be upset about this? He's the one who tried to kill me!_

"All is fare in love and war after all," Fiona answered with a devilish smile.

"And what if Naugus doesn't like us playing in his back yard?" the kit continued, ignoring the other two's banter.

"I'm sure Sonic will have dealt with him well before you arrive. Isn't that right Sonic?"

"Yeah, Sal," he managed still not having removed his gaze form Fiona's, "whatever you say."

"He's going to see this coming," Fiona sighed, "he always has."

"I doubt that," the princess replied rather curtly. "You give him too much credit. He only ever let you see his success, not his failures. There's a reason you never saw his family before they died… due to his arrogance might I add. And even if all he does is hide on the third floor of his casino, he'll still be easier to get than Julian ever was."

The vixen couldn't help but let her jaw unhinge, _how does she know so much about him? _Fiona could swear she was one of the few people who knew the truth about Ixis' family, _but so does Sally..._

"How do you know that?" the red furred fox demanded as if they were her secrets to protect.

"Know what?" Sally asked defensively.

"About his wife, about Patrick, about the third floor?"

"I run an intelligence network, Fiona. It's my job to know that kind of stuff."

"He never told anyone about his family…" the vixen reasoned.

The squirrel stared intently, daring Fiona to challenge her, but rather than let the silence build up, the Princess shifter her gaze to Tails, "When you two are done with your honeymoon, feel free to get back to work."

_Maybe I deserved that, _the vixen thought while Miles visibly held back a snarl before snapping to his feet. Reaching for his arm, Fiona tugged on his shoulder, pulling away the hatred with her touch alone.

_Don't let them do this to you, you're better than this._ The kit had already proven what lengths he would go to defend her, he didn't need to torch what little bridge remained between him and his family.

"Come on Miles," Fiona said with her eyes, glancing at the door.

The two-tailed fox smiled as he turned his back on the squirrel. "Dead Kintobors are our specialty," he proclaimed triumphantly.

Fiona made sure to let the door shut nice and hard behind her. There was no reason to pretend to be happy with how they were being treated.

"Sonic," Sally began as soon as the foxes were gone, "Is there something I need to know about? It's not like you to speak out of turn."

Fiona watched as Tails rolled his eyes. _Perhaps this is normal?_ The vixen wanted to keep walking, but the allure of their private conversation had already turned her around to face the source.

"Me? I am not even sure you're the same Sally anymore. You've been two different people for the last four years and I am never sure which one I am going to get. I only said what needed to be said, the things that if I didn't know better, you wanted to say."

"We need her to help us, not find a reason to turn on us."

"What gives, Sal? All the sudden you feel like using the carrot instead of the stick? Didn't I suggest that from the start? You sent me to kill her, remember? Why do you want to trust her now?"

Both her and Tails stared at the door as if they could see through it. _Have they forgotten we're Mobians just like they are? Or do they want us to hear this?_

"I don't! But that doesn't mean we don't need her to trust us. Fiona is valuable and Tails will keep her in line."

The look of shame that crossed the two-tailed fox's face was undeniable. There was no defending their words, not that he would have ever tried.

"That fox has never been anything more than a tool for our enemies. Are you hoping that she can remember how to think for herself or are you going to use her just like they did?"

Swallowing her breath, the vixen fought back tears as Miles tore her away from the egress.

"Don't be ridiculous, Sonic," Sally said as their argument began to fade into obscurity.

"That's what we all are to you isn't it? Just pieces in your chess game. What am I in all of this, Sally?"

The vixen forced herself to tune it out, instead focusing on putting one foot in front of the other as she padded after a two-tailed fox. It was difficult to ignore such a large elephant in such a small corridor, but Fiona did her best.

"Sally mentioned something about how she should have taken care of Colin when she had the chance," she began in a meek voice.

"She's no slouch when it comes to strategy," the kit replied. "She probably saw him coming a long ways off but didn't see him as a big enough threat to kill. We're the resistance, not one of Julian's Dominion squads."

"Bet she regrets that…"

"I think we all regret a lot of things."

Fiona's mind tried and failed to count the number of things she would do over again given the chance.

_Not you,_ she decided before pushing the remaining memories from her thoughts.

Tails was walking with heavy feet down a long corridor she had never explored. It's blank stainless steel walls faded into nothing more than the bare rock the tunnel had been dug through. Soon any sign of habitation vanished leaving nothing but the approaching shadows.

"Miles," Fiona called after him before picking up her pace, "where are we going?"

The light was growing sparse and while she had grown accustomed to the darkness in her previous life, its encapsulating gloom had left a bad taste in her mouth.

"Do you trust me?" the kit's echoing voice replied.

_He should know he doesn't have to ask. _

"Of course sweetie, why wouldn't I?"

The glow of one of his canines pierced the darkness, outlining the overbearing grin on the two-tailed fox's face. Fiona could hear the flick of a large switch and the hum of high voltage electricity.

_What's he doing?_

As the florescent bulbs overhead warmed their way into existence, Fiona finally realized she was no longer standing in the confines of a several decade old tunnel, but rather an entrance to a cavern of immense size. Walking slowly into its expanse she couldn't help but admire the abundance of space and high ceilings.

_Why do I need to trust you for this?_ The vixen nearly asked until her eyes landed on the dusty red bi-plane before her. Large letters were printed across the wings that spelled out 'Tornado.'

_A name any twelve year old would give one of his toys,_ she smiled. For an aircraft that looked closer to a century old it was in magnificent shape.

"Is it yours?" Fiona inquired already knowing the answer.

"Started putting it together when I was ten."

_Of course you did. What don't you know how to do?_

"Haven't flown it in a while though," the Tails trailed off.

_This must be how you learned to fly so well. _She had never asked, assuming instead that the kit was naturally good at everything he did.

"It's nice…" Fiona hesitated, not knowing how to continue.

"I thought maybe you would want to see the sun set from somewhere a little higher up."

It was hard to hide the small gasp that left her mouth. Heights had stopped agreeing with her nearly a month ago, not that they had ever gotten along before that. The thought of getting into another plane was beyond terrifying.

"Does it even work?" the red fox deflected.

Tails scoffed, "Of course!" running a protective hand along the craft's outer shell as if the vixen had hurt its feelings.

_His first love,_ she mused with her wry smile, cautiously taking a step closer.

"I don't need to be jealous, do I?" Fiona asked, nodding her head in the direction of his paw that was still caressing the riveted machine.

"I snapped every last piece into place and tightened every bolt… I know this plane better than I know myself," the kit admitted reluctantly.

Running a finger along the fuselage, Fiona left behind a strip of gleaming cherry paint, "The last time I got into one of these with you…" she began knowing there was no need to continue.

"We're alive," the two-tailed fox was quick to remind her, "and I won't ever let anything change that."

It was a bold promise, perhaps even unrealistic, but it was all what she needed to hear. She watched as he climbed the footholds and rolled into the cockpit.

"Here," he exclaimed enthusiastically before tossing a pair of goggles in her direction, "you're going to need these."

They stank of hedgehog, but Fiona had a feeling this wasn't the time or the place to bring that up. Tightening the strap, the vixen rested the leather wrapped tempered glass on her forehead. With a deep breath she placed one paw after another in the make shift ladder affixed to the plane.

The red fox was never quite sure of what to expect when she reached the top, but what she found didn't put her at ease. The cockpit was every bit as old in design as the rest of the aircraft. The instrument gauges looked like they where made before her parents were born while the pedals still used cables instead of hydraulics or electric feedback. However, that still wasn't the most problematic item.

"It only has one seat," she frowned.

Without missing a beat Miles patted his thigh indicating she should sit on his lap, "I promise nothing bad will happen this time."

This felt too much like everything she feared. _Do it for him,_ Fiona assured herself.

Stepping into the small aluminum enclosure things slowly began to get better. The warmth of the kit's body against her back was everything the vixen needed to remind her she was not alone in this.

"What now?" she asked playfully wagging her tail.

His paw found hers and began to gently guide the tips of her fingers to all of the switches. Slowly the dust-covered vehicle came belching to life with a deafening gurgle of black smoke.

"The engine," Miles yelled over the noise, "is the only thing that isn't original. It's lighter, more efficient, and faster."

"What about louder?" Fiona joked before she felt a soft woolen texture envelope her ears.

"Is that better?" the kit asked over the headset, his voice clear as cloudless sky.

Fiona nodded her head; the ruckus of the engine was now nothing more than an obnoxious hum.

Tails eased the throttle forward and in no time at all the plane was moving through the cavern.

"Miles?" she asked over the mic while she searched for an exit.

There wasn't a response, only more speeding into the cave. His hands were still atop hers, guiding her motions.

"Miles, sweetie, the wall," Fiona whispered.

"Do you trust me?" he asked again.

The rock's surface grew closer, well past the point of no return. _What choice do I have?_

"Of course," the vixen replied only half as sincerely as before.

Taking one last gulp she braced herself for the inevitable impact only to find herself feeling weightless as the plane abruptly left the ground. Hanging in the stale air above the massive quarry amidst the fading sun, Tails pulled back on the stick. The climb was steep, but it was only a few seconds before they escaped the confines of their underground home.

Looking back, Fiona tried to figure out where they had come from.

"The wall is nothing more than a projection," the kit answered for her.

The vixen's breathing finally began to steady as they leveled out, wind whipping through her hair.

"You got it?" Miles asked.

_Got what?_ She wanted to ask, but his paws were already gone. Fiona was the only one in control of the plane now.

It was nothing like Kintobor's fleet. Everything in this aircraft was mechanical, she could feel the plane talking to her right through the yoke. There was no fancy computer to fly for her, no sensors to lock in on a precise vector and thrust, only the vixen's intuition. She hung by the thread of her determination to keep them aloft. It was frighteningly liberating to be so in control. Fiona smiled as she weaved them through the currents of air.

A purple haze extended outwards, it's tendrils of light radiating from the sun as it sunk beneath the horizon. Even from atop Kintobor's headquarters, the birth of night had never looked so beautiful.

"It's nice up here," the vixen said without thinking.

She could see his smile in the reflection of the windshield.

"Where would you like to go?"

When they were up here everywhere felt simultaneously very close and very far. The ground was impossibly far away, but distant locations such as Coastaries felt as if they were around the corner. The world was at her proverbial fingertips. However, there was only one place she wanted to be.

"I want to go home," she whispered into the radio.

* * *

><p>Sorry for a chapter lacking in action, but this one is kind of necessary to put a perspective on time relative to the first chapter.<p>

Anyway, hopefully it's a little more cheerful than the first. Reviews are appreciated.

Cheers,

M.D


	3. Falling Through

First things first. Special thanks to Saber for doing an amazing job on the cover art for this story. Take a look at the link in my profile to see more of his work!

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><p>Everything was falling into place. It was far too easy to play their game when he set his mind to it. Perhaps one day he would thank the Mobians for toying around with his brain. At first it was terrifying, but now the world and all its secrets were his.<p>

_First Ixis and now the girl._

"No, Tails!" she screamed.

How had Kintobor been so blind? The girl had been sitting right underneath his nose for weeks. With any luck the dictator and his incompetence wouldn't be around much longer any way.

_Only his friends call him Tails,_ Colin smiled as he watched from just off stage.

Just like any good soldier caught off guard, Jake did what came natural and grabbed the traitor.

"Jake," she begged as the man's grip sunk into her shoulder, "stop, you're hurting me."

"What have we here?" the fat slob asked if everyone was interested in his showmanship. "Someone who know Miles by his pet name in my midst?"

It was a wonder he hadn't choked on a rhetorical question yet. Every other sentence he spoke was a question everyone already knew the answer too.

"A spy?" Julian he attempted to deduce. "No you're just a girl," quickly ruling the notion out. "Ah!" his face jiggled with glee, "Yes, wait a moment, I know who you are."

_Our president ladies and gentlemen… what a genius, _Colin lamented as he watched with growing anticipation.

"Hello Mara," the dictator said with a warm voice, a grin exploding across his face. "Oh this night just keeps getting better and better."

_I couldn't agree more._

"Collin," the rotund man commanded, "If you would be so kind to show her up on stage."

Sighing heavily, he hopped off the stage, pushing his way through the crowed. They stank of sweat, their breaths tinged with alcohol. _Why does he bother to entertain them? They're nearly as fifthly as Mobians. _

The new class of wealth in Capital City was young and reckless. Kintobor had no shame when it came to asking for more money. He would pander to the lowest of the low if it meant putting more fuel into his war machine. Finally having gotten his hands on Ixis' donors must have made his day.

_It's too bad he doesn't know that kooky old man isn't dead. _

A gaze of fright greeted him as he grew nearer to the girl. Colin couldn't help but extend his smile even further toward his ears; s_he is the key to everything!_

Shifting his gaze to Jake, Colin did his best not to act intimidated. The soldier was nearly twice his size and far too prone unpredictable acts of rage. Reaching for the girl, the Dominion agent relented knowing that he had no other choice.

_Not so tough now, are you, Jake?_

"No!" the girl screamed obnoxiously in his hear, "Jake, don't let him do this!"

Acting like the trained dog that he was, Jake did nothing more than watch as Colin dragged her towards the center of the stage. _How predictable,_ he thought just before a thunderous crash of footsteps approached from behind. _What is it now?_

The sniveling man turned just in time to see Jake mid tackle. Air left his lungs as the soldier collided with his mid-section causing the girl to slip from his grasp. However, before the oaf could do anymore damage, security pulled him off, attempting to restrain the enraged man.

"You've done it now, Jakey boy," Colin laughed as he tried to stand up, "you're as good as dead. I should have known you were as soft as the rest of them."

Screams erupted from the other side of the room as sounds of a stampede amplified through the auditorium. Everyone was running in fear of a newly freed fox. Colin paused as he tried to catch his breath and stomach the bubble in his throat. Mobians, big or small had the same affect on him.

He wasn't sure why, but he hated them. The dread he felt in their presence only solidified the fact. Backing away slowly, Colin tried to find his courage, but he couldn't in the face of such a well-known killer. Miles Prower was as fearsome as they came and here he was free, in the same room. A gunshot shattered Colin's fragile psyche, sending him another step backwards reeling in fear. It took every ounce of his concentration not to collapse.

"No," Julian proclaimed in a tone of disbelief, "this can't be. Fiona," the fat man pleaded now, "think of everything I have done for you!"

The vixen stood in the center of the hall, clasping her paws to the bare red fur around her neck in disbelief. Colin gulped as both his fear and adrenalin doubled.

_Too soon… This wasn't supposed to happen so quickly… Ixis!_

The red fox had never been kind to him with her collar on and he was in no mood to find out what she might do to him without it. Part of his plan had always been to free her, to use her to kill the fat man, but it wasn't supposed to happen like this.

_Focus Colin! Focus and you can get out of this._

The robotic lion on stage let out a roar as it leapt clean over him, cracking the wooden floor when it landed. Almost immediately it took of after the Resistance fighter whilst everyone else looked on apprehensively.

_The girl!_ He reminded himself._ You need to get the girl!_

Removing his pistol from the inside of his coat, Colin crept up behind an unsuspecting Mara. Pressing the barrel into the small of her back, he wrapped his free arm around her mouth.

Her tiny, muffled screams never roused the suspicions of anyone who might come to her aide. They were all too busy taming a metallic lion. One step at a time, Colin was able to force her towards the service elevator in the hallway.

The room quieted with one last thunderous crack just as he reached the hallway. The defeated girls screams finally began to carry a meaningful distance. However, it was too late. The elevator had arrived and in a matter of seconds he would be on the roof.

Colin waved goodbye to Jake as the doors shut, smiling devilishly at the man's futile attempt to save the girl.

Mara quivered in his grasp, incapable of much besides breathing. Something had already taken the fight out of her. _You lied to him, you used him,_ Colin thought, _and now you see this as your punishment..__.__ foolish girl. _

The sky was awash with Capital City's neon lights. Stepping out into the stiff breeze, Colin began to panic, _where is it? Where is the helicopter?_ Beads of sweat began to form even has he heard its engine in the distance. _No one can make it up here that quickly,_ he deiced.

Looking out into the distance he waited patiently for the blinking lights of the chopper to grow closer.

"You're coming with me," he finally decided to inform her of the obvious.

She didn't reply.

Then the unthinkable happened. The sound of a deadbolt shattering wrenched him away from thoughts of victory, forcing him to turn around and face a more pressing problem.

"Sar… Mara," Jake corrected himself while fumbling for his breath, "it's going to be alright."

_So many lies they've told each other. _

"How nice of you to reassure her, but it only makes you a liar."

"Where do you think you're going, Colin?" the man asked motioning to the lack of obvious escapes.

_What difference does it makes, you won't be around to care._

"Back to the lab," he answered anyway. "With just a drop of her blood I will have everything I need to finish Julian's work. The world will be mine soon enough," Colin grinned menacingly.

"And just how do you plan on getting there?"

"Always so slow, Jake?"

The hum of the rotors soon became loud enough for anyone to hear, even if you weren't listening for them.

He gripped Mara's arm more tightly, reminding the little witch who was in charge.

"Uh uh ahh," Colin shook his head as the patter of his salvation grew closer, "not another step, Jake. I would hate to have to kill such a pretty girl. I only need her blood remember."

Mara had been delivered right to him all while the other portions of his plan were coming together at an alarmingly fast rate. The two-tailed fox freed the red one and if the universe was being good to him, they were now in the process of hunting down Julian. _You never showed me enough respect, uncle. You never could see my potential. _

With one simple move, Colin had checkmated the most powerful figure in the country. The only thing keeping him from ruling the world now was the former Dominion Agent in front of him.

"Then take what you need and leave her, and so help me god I will let you live." the traitor retorted.

_They all underestimate me. _

Pressing his pistol into the girl's neck Colin made his point clear, "Do you really feel like you are in a position to make threats?"

Jake had always fancied himself better than everyone else and Colin had no intention of letting that continue. He would put the oversized gorilla in his place just like he had everyone else.

"Do you?" the agent had the audacity to reply.

The girl meant everything to him, enough to throw away what little of a life he had left. Certainly he wouldn't take a gamble on her life. _Would he?_

"She's the only thing between you and me. You kill her," Jake laughed uneasily at the thought, "well, let's just say I'll finally be putting all those interrogation tactics you cram down our throats to some use."

It was hard to hide the gulp. Even with the girl firmly in his grasp, the threat of torture was enough to make him second-guess getting between a man as big as Jake and the woman he loved. The Mobians had shown him a world of terror and they were much smaller creatures.

"You don't scare me," Colin replied convincingly.

The problem was Jake did scare him. This particular Dominion agent was prone to unpredictable fits of rage. If Mara wasn't enough leverage to keep the agent back, then Colin was as good as dead.

"Ha!" the agent laughed as he advanced, "Don't kid yourself, everything scares you."

Outside of Mobians little scared him. The sharper his mind grew the less he feared. His demeanor was nothing more than a façade now, designed to fool the overconfident.

_If they think I am weak they will be blind to my strength._

For years he had played the part of patsy. He was the genius behind all the breakthroughs, the linchpin to all of Kintobor's work, taking Roboticization to new heights.

"Not another step," Colin shouted as he cocked his pistol with his thumb.

"Or what?" Jake asked before taking another.

"I'll kill her."

Killing the girl would be easy, but dealing with Jake was a different story. Once the girl was gone so too was his leverage.

"Will you?" the agent asked as if he had everything figured out.

It was too late to turn his gun on the overgrown copper. At this range Jake could probably comfortably shoot him without worrying about accidentally hitting the girl. Jake had called his bluff.

Colin released his grip on the girl delicately so as if not to alarm her. It took her a moment to realize she was free, turning slowly with an inquisitive look. Perhaps she expected to be dead, the guilt-ridden expression on her face said as much.

It was obvious Mara didn't trust him, and why should she? Backing away slowly, she refused to take her eyes off of the short man, unknowingly obscuring Jake's line of sight.

A devilish smirk crept up Colin's lips as he raised his weapon again.

_Jake will never see it coming._

Squeezing the trigger, the publicist readied himself for the sudden pop of his pistol. An explosion came and went, but the pressure he had expected to feel in his hand was instead somewhere north of his appendix. A nauseous feeling set in quickly and before he knew it his world was spinning.

The pain set it when Colin's knees hit the ground. He could feel the blood running down his leg.

_He shot me…_

"Damn it, Jake," Colin swore, "You always were such an ass."

He tried to back away, but the Dominion Agent was already on top of him, his hand wrapped firmly around the collar of his shirt. Stomaching the pain was difficult, even harder was fabric tightening around his neck. As he gasped for air, Colin looked at the ground below him. It seemed forever away.

"Jake!" Mara's voice grated his ears. "Just leave him, he doesn't need to die."

_Yes,_ the short man gulped, _listen to her, I don't need to die._

"You hear that?" the Dominion agent smiled wryly, "You don't need to die. You're lucky someone in this world still finds some value in your life."

Colin managed to open his eyes when a solid surface was under his feet again. All he had to do now was focus, it wasn't too late. Reaching inside his pocket he found the grip of a stun gun. He had never used it before, but gleefully rejoiced in the results. It made the biggest of men insignificant and week. Pushing harder, Colin drove the energized electrodes into Jake's mid section.

The agent's gun fell to the ground followed shortly by its owner. Jake withered on the ground, sweating as he fumbled for his breath.

_Not so tough now!_ Colin thought as he drove his foot into the man's ribs. It felt electrifyingly good to inflict so much pain. Each kick sent the agent closer to the edge. _Ha!_ The short man nearly laughed out loud, _how about a taste of you own medicine. _

Kneeling down Colin examined the Dominion agent who now hung by nothing more than his fingertips, "It appears love is your weakness, Jake. How fitting for a man made of principle." Standing up, he continued, "I'll be sure to thank Mara for saving my life."

"You always were a coward," the man had the audacity to quip.

"Tell me Jake," Colin chided as Jake looked past him, "how delusional does one have to be to talk out of place when he is about to die?"

_You don't even have the nerve to look me in the eye._

"Not sure Snively, you tell me?"

_He thinks he can fool me._

"Jake, look at you, just hanging there. Tell me, what use is all that strength now?"

"You're afraid to do it aren't you?" the man laughed, "Be a man!"

_Afraid, on the contrary, I am enjoying this far too much to end it just yet._

"Do you honestly think you can goad me into doing something stupid with petty name calling?" Colin asked, crossing his arms. "Or do you just want to die faster?"

"He probably wanted to give me enough time to get his gun," a woman's voice stated sternly from behind.

Colin could feel his eyes widen as he braced himself for the inevitable. The ground came into view once more as the world tumbled in out of view. A sharp pain in his shoulder was secondary to the feeling of helplessness as gravity took over. In an instant, the fall that had lasted forever was over, ending in an abrupt blackness.

The world was slow to resume, the tendrils of his thought barely reaching past any semblance of awareness. _This is no time to panic, Colin,_ the short man thought to himself, struggling with the reality he might be dead. He was suffocating in a fowl odor that he not only couldn't place, but didn't want to.

Eyes still closed, he extended his hands outwards, searching himself, expecting to find a broken body beneath his fingertips. Only the smooth fabric of his bloodstained clothes greeted him. Colin would have laughed, but the hole in torso made it painful.

_I am alive!_ Snively exclaimed to no one but himself.

Getting shot hadn't hurt half as much as he expected. Bullets were far less troublesome than what the Resistance had already done to him. Finally opening his eyes, it wasn't to the glistening streets of Capital City, but the torn bags of trash inside a dumpster. He was covered from head to foot in garbage and smelled the part of a vagrant. What kind of metaphor was there to be found in being saved by a pile of rubbish? _What is the world trying to tell me?_

But that is not what concerned him as he crawled out of the festering dumpster, _what about Julian? Did he make it?_

The explosions in the distance told the tale of someone losing, but there was no telling who.

_The foxes, surely they will tear him to pieces, _Snively laughed over the distant gunfire._ The red one is free now… How many times did I try to warn him about her? How many times did I tell him not to trust her?_

Not that he minded. It's what Colin had wanted after all. However, he had always intended to be much further away when the leash was removed.

The fox's nature was predictable, once free there would only be one thing on her mind, revenge. All he had to do was find a way to get rid of the collar without being noticed and the fat man was as dead, at the hands of a Mobian no less.

Strangely enough, Ixis had been desperate to free the fox as well. There was little doubt the cunning man saw a similar opportunity in the vixen's release. Colin knew it was dangerous to do business with the crime lord, but the price Ixis ended up paying for the schematics was far higher than he could have ever anticipated.

Without any hesitation, Snively had asked the man to hold out his hands.

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><p>Sorry for a boring chapter, but it's important to set all the groundwork for the rest of the story. Also, I am sure there were a few of you wondering how Snively lived.<p>

Reviews appreciated!

Cheers,

M.D


	4. Semantics of Immortality

Oh how turbulent things had become. Killing dictators and toppling empires were supposed to be bad for business, but now everyone wanted a chance at being king. With all the wannabes came all the contracts and the scum who thought they were meant to be somebody. Blood ran through the street while hypocrisy was splashed across every conceivable media outlet.

Their Den of Shadows crawled with life, whispers filling in the cracks of an aging frame in a decayed building. Yet amongst the shadows and criminals stood a shining resilience of life. A pink hedgehog tucked herself away in a corner, happy to spend her days reading in a candle light so dim it stretched only inches from the wick. Her quills glowed, radiating an unseen energy outwards while a smile pursed her lips.

Johnny took a seat across from her, doing his best to squeeze his tall lanky form into a booth meant for someone smaller.

"Johnny," she mumbled while continuing to mouth words on the page in front of her.

More often than not he loathed Mobians, sometimes even his partner. The creatures' smell was worse than trash-ridden side streets of the Upper East Side while their tiny yet potent minds made them as unpredictable as the animals they so readily resembled.

Fumbling for a cigarette, he balanced the end of the filter in his mouth before responding, "Miss Rose."

With a snap of his fingers he produced enough concentrated light to ignite the tip of the uncovered tobacco. It was party trick of sorts that had taken him years to hone. The power it took to produce enough energy to cause a spark was rather surprising, but with perseverance and motivation came results. Taking a long drag he let the soothing sensation of the nicotine bring a grin to his face before exhaling.

"Those will kill you," she replied sweetly.

This Mobian, he admired, but couldn't place why. Life had chewed her up and spit her out. Yet here she was, alive, with a smile, and as sweet as springtime rose. Her company unlike most others was a welcome reprieve from the desolate deprived life that he now considered normal.

"So I have been told."

It was one of the few luxuries that came with his 'condition'. Immortality, or something that came so close he didn't much care for the semantics. A pack or five a day would harm him as much as breathing the near poisonous air of their sinking city.

Amy threw a smile back at him, and despite being aware of his curse, pity was nowhere to be found in it.

For him, being a Guardian was without a doubt one of the most laughable fates in all of the planet's history, only to be made downright hilarious by being a human. Had The Source messed up? Could it not tell him apart from the shorter fur covered creatures that scampered the globe? What had he done to deserve a duty, up until now, reserved for Mobians?

Guardian's were, by any who knew what they were revered, but not understood. He, like his partner was bound to servitude. In exchange for the choice he never got to make, Johnny received powers most men would envy and a chance to live well past those who doubted him.

She ignored the smoke as he exhaled again, her courtesy proceeding what Johnny often assumed was beauty, "What brings you here today, Miss Rose?"

"The atmosphere," she replied almost instantly in a voice so sincere it couldn't be anything but sarcasm.

The blue hedgehog had paid for her entrance to this place a thousand times over, demanding the Johnnies keep an eye on her. Neither agreed, but nor did they disagree. When she was here, she was safe, and in this city that was a luxury few could afford.

"Is there anything I can do for you?" It was an odd question for him to ask, or at least out of genuine concern rather than economic interest. Amy wasn't a client, she was just another part of his day, one that he found time for even amongst an unexpected rush of business.

"Tell me why it feels like I'm being followed."

It sounded like a command when she spoke so directly, but rather than meet it with impunity Johnny warmed up his grin, all while feeling oddly jealous of a certain blue hedgehog.

"Look around, Miss Rose," he began, "these are not upstanding citizens. Everyone of them would like something from you, and few would bother to ask."

"No," she replied unsatisfied with his answer, "there's something more to it this time."

She was no meek creature, but in a city overrun with those who grew up on hatred, Amy was outnumbered by a good many more powerful than herself. Johnny doubted there was any shortage of Mobians or humans alike for her to fear.

"Have you taken up any new hobbies, Miss Rose? Anything that might grab the attention of those not so savory?"

If there was someone following her, they were doing it discretely, which didn't sound like the typical thug. Perhaps she had managed to get involved with the Resistance in more ways than she already was. Only people with plans played the waiting game.

"What do you mean?" her innocent voice responded.

"Are there any reasons for someone to be interested in you?" Johnny asked now, bluntly.

She paused for a moment, words lingering on the tip of her tongue caught in between her teeth. There of course was the same thing there always had been, the thing she yearned to talk about but couldn't, not even here.

"No," Amy finally replied.

Allies of the Resistance made for great targets in power grabs. Friends, family and lovers were no exception and often time even more valuable when the ransoms came in. By saying nothing about this pink hedgehog, Sonic had said everything. She was important to him. That was valuable information to any concerned enemies of the Resistance. The only question that remained is who was interested.

Johnny leaned back, away from the candle light, dabbing out his cigarette on the table's ashtray. He wanted to chalk this up to an irrational fear, but something told him that she wasn't the type to give into that.

"Miss Rose," the man began before knowing how to continue, "I don't know of anyone who is looking for you. If there is someone looking for you, they're acting on their own, well outside the purview of my information network."

"What should I do?"

Perhaps she had mistaken his gift for the ability to tell the future. Johnny sighed to himself, knowing that advice was not something he sold and seldom provided. He worked in the realm of facts, but the shadow man still wanted to help her.

"Perhaps I could offer some of my services?"

The hedgehog frowned, knowing full well the costs that came with employing either of the Johnnies.

"Free of charge of course," he continued, "your benefactor saw to it that you had ample credit to use with us for just such an occasion."

Setting her book down on the dusty table between them, the hedgehog's eyes glared back into his. Despite their countless conversations she still didn't trust him. Although, who could blame her with a past as rocky as her own.

"I wasn't aware that Guardians were detectives," Amy replied skeptically.

Folding his arms, Johnny did his best not to take her comment personally, "Detection is a result of attention to detail, Miss Rose. Of that I do not lack."

_Perhaps that is why the source chose me?_ He asked himself, contemplating a new angle to a question he often reflected on.

While pondering his proposal she blew out the candle with a sharp exhale, snuffing out the flames existence as easy as he had brought it into the world.

"If you think it will help," came her reply from a now darker side of the table.

Johnny towered over the rose colored hedgehog at his full height, but he offered her his hand all the same. Gently Amy took hold of his fingers while she pulled herself out of the booth.

_Do you think it will help?_ He repeated, but not aloud. The question was only for him. _Certainly it won't hurt._ Johnny let her gather her things, before pacing over to his partner.

The raccoon sat idly at the center of the room, his eyes full of attention waiting for one of their patrons to slipup for even just a moment. The Mobian was on edge, fearing for their business' reputation. After lingering longer than the creature expected, a pair of green orbs finally rose to meet his lackluster brown eyes.

"I'll be escorting Miss Rose home," Johnny began even as his partner's judging gaze narrowed, "she is concerned that someone may be following her."

The raccoon didn't approve oh his unfounded fascination with the pink hedgehog. He was all business and failed to see anything in life beside money and opportunity. Miss Rose was neither of those to him, so he turned a blind eye to both her and her plight. The Johnnies had both seen Sonic's request to keep her safe as narrow minded and shallow, especially considering his relation to the princess. However, Johnny always seemed to find his own reasons to see that she was taken care.

"As you see fit," the grey furred Mobian responded in a disappointed tone, "We have plenty of paying clients that still require attention here."

"If you will recall, we have been contracted to ensure her safety. I wouldn't want our reputation to be questioned."

Protection work was not something they did personally, so fulfilling an obligation to which they would never agree was a mute point. The raccoon nodded him on nonetheless.

Amy was waiting for him outside in much more warmly lit darkness. Street lamps glowed from either end of the alley while the bloom of Capital City's never ending lights reflected off the low flying clouds.

"You're going to walk a girl home look'n like that?" she insinuated playfully, motioning to the ragged four day old suit he was wearing.

The knot in his tie was a good four inches lower than it should have been, while his pocket square was nothing more than wrinkled wad of fabric. A white shirt tail flapped not so elegantly in the breeze as it escaped from beneath his blazer.

He returned the smile with interest, warping the light around him into something more visually appealing. The Source scraped the back of his mind like a rusty rake in retaliation for his show of arrogance, but he had become accustomed to the pain.

"That's better," the pink hedgehog confirmed as she took in his new appearance.

Stretching out his arms, he shuttered at the site of fur on the back of his hands. Wearing a Mobian's skin seemed foreign, disgusting at second thought. However, the only thing that would raise more questions than two Mobians walking through Capital City would be a Human walking hand in hand with one.

"A wolf today," Amy stated rhetorically.

Johnny wore what the occasion called for. The canines were proud fearsome creatures. Few, if any, would stop him in this form. However, the changes were only cosmetic, he was still human… or almost anyway.

Baring a bleach white fang Johnny inquired, "Would you prefer something else?"

The Mobian shook her head, "it suits you. What's the saying? A wolf in sheep's clothing?"

Johnny chuckled in a deeper raspier voice, doing his best to imitate the back country slang of this type of creature, "This is quite the opposite, Miss Rose."

"Is it?" she pondered as they walked. "A Guardian disguised as a Mobian seems quite applicable to me."

He hadn't thought of it like that. Johnny was a wolf, even in wolf's clothing.

As they strolled by a store front, he checked his handy work. Brilliant grey fur with a hint of moonlight was combed to perfection across his brow. A jaw line sharper than his own hung just above the collar of a pressed black t-shirt. Muscles rippled beneath the cotton fabric. The Mobian who stared back at him was a specimen of perfect heath, a far cry from the man who lurked below the surface.

"Miss Rose?" he spoke after seeing a shiver had come over her.

Only another block remained between them and her apartment complex.

"Can't you feel it?"

_I am just a human remember?_ The heightened senses of Mobians left them with a higher degree of awareness. His abilities as a Guardian only afforded him the luxury of misdirecting those around him.

"Feel what, Miss Rose?"

"The eyes," she responded eerily, "someone is watching us."

Johnny would have to take her word for it. He peeled away the shadows of every hiding place, leaving no place for anyone to conceal themselves.

"There is nothing to fear, Miss Rose. No one is there."

Her paw latched around his and she pulled herself tight up against his side. This felt familiar to him, it scratched at all the memories the source had erased. Johnny could feel her fear, and with it the need to calm her the way one might a child.

The hedgehog stopped him before Johnny could step onto the landing, "We need to use the back."

"Of course," he replied.

Her apartment wasn't exactly on the map, so it wasn't surprising it was tucked away in nook of some back alley.

"Thanks, Johnny," Amy said softly, her eyes gazing up into his.

"It's my job, Miss Rose."

"No it's not," she giggled, "even I know that."

Knowing that she knew, he wondered who he was trying to impress. _Myself?_ His desire to help was instinctual for some reason, well outside self control.

"Consider it a favor for the only person who visits the Den without wanting something for themselves."

With the twist of a set of keys, the man was through the dead bolt in no time. Her flat was dark, and before Amy could find the light switch someone was pointing a gun at his head. To anyone but another guardian, Johnny looked like bad news.

"Hey pal, just what do you think you're doing?"

_He thinks I am a wolf,_ Johnny sighed to himself. _No one likes a little competition. _

"Relax, Sonic," the pink hedgehog pleaded, "it's just Johnny."

As his disguise evaporated, the man watched the Freedom Fighter's expression of awe.

"Safe and sound," Johnny mumbled to the two of them.

"Geeze Johnny, you scared me half to death," the blue quilled Mobian said in a relieved voice. "What'ca doin all the way over here?"

"I believe you asked us to keep an eye on Miss Rose," the man replied, still wary of the weapon wielding Resistance Fighter. "I wouldn't want to lose her again."

"Again?" the two hedgehogs asked in unison.

Johnny paused for a moment, trying to keep a look of confusion at bay. _Again?_ W_ho have I lost in the past? Certainly not Amy__._

"Forgive me, I misspoke."

Sonic nodded, "Appreciate it Johnny, but I got it from here."

"Of course. I'll be on my way."

Johnny shut the door behind him, returning to the darkness from which he came. A thick muggy air was there to greet the man when he made his way back into the alley. This part of town was quiet, even for the late hour. An odd feeling pricked at a sense he seldom listened to. _Who's there,_ he almost called out.

A bottle clanked across the concrete as a large figure stepped between him and the street.

"You," Johnny snorted in surprise as he rummaged through his pockets for a pack of cigarettes.

"Me," came the response.

"You're supposed to be dead," the Guardian responded as he pulled out one of the tobacco filled sticks with his lips.

The shadowy figure cackled a little, "says who?"

With a snap of his fingers, Johnny ignited his cigarette, watching the orange glow travel toward him with a deep inhale.

"What are you going to do Julian? I am not letting you near her, and it's not like you can kill a Guardian…" but his thoughts stopped there as the world turned the blackest shade of black.

* * *

><p>I haven't had this much fun writing a chapter in a long time. I put as much effort and polish into this chapter as I could, so hopefully it's enjoyable. I welcome any feedback positive or negative. The direction of this story isn't set in stone yet, so if you like or dislike something let me know so I can adapt.<p>

How are the more supernatural elements? Enjoyable? How are the added OCs? Annoying or interesting? Was anything too vague? Did anything not make sense? Do you have questions in general? Thanks again everyone!

Cheers,

M.D


	5. Tails

Without all the stress of having to remain hidden, the urge to stick his head out the window and let his fur blow in the wind was unrelenting. Instincts new and old were no longer limited by Kintobor's rule and the kit was free to do as he wished. Lapping up air as he drove Tails closed his eyes momentarily, savoring the bliss.

Even more irresistible was the temptation to hum along to the tune he was following. The song flowed elegantly from the car in front of him.

Since he had met her, the vixen had lackadaisically sung it when her paws her idle. Fiona had dubbed it the anthem to Capital city, it's unmistakable duet a fairytale for anyone willing to believe.

* * *

><p><em>Now Playing:<em> Find You _By_: Zedd

Lyrics used below are not mine.

* * *

><p>"Make them dance, just like you," he finally relented, muttering along beneath his breath.<p>

_No one can dance like you, Fiona, _he thought in retrospect.

"Your singing it aren't you?" she asked over the radio.

"No," he insisted.

But she pressed the point by picking up where he left off, "I'll run away with your foot steps. I'll build a city that dreams for two."

A city built at their feet, just for them. It was a wonderful fantasy to say the least; if only it were that easy. Everyone wanted to rule, but no one ever made room in their dreams for another. How quickly selflessness could turn to selfishness with the attainment of absolute power.

"And if you lose yourself, I will find you," the kit continued, giving into what she wanted.

"That's if you can find me," a warming laugh replied.

Like that Fiona was gone from sight, swerving around a corner under the tear of rubber meeting road.

Tails pressed his boot hard into the warn plastic of the gas pedal and the big block V8 in front of him roared to life, belting out a deep growl that slowly rose in pitch. Pavement was sucked beneath the hood of his vehicle, fueling its hungry appetite for speed and recklessness.

With so little of what constituted a normal life to reflect on, the foxes had no idea what to do with boundless freedom. Living outside of the shadow of the Dominion had always just been a fantasy, and by comparison to underneath it, boring.

It was an older model copper cruiser with nearly bald tires, nothing like the car Fiona was in. Her stolen coupe was from one of the local gangs, its high revving turbocharged four cylinder engine obnoxiously droning on through a modified exhaust. The rumble of their approach was preceded by a symphony of echoes amidst the high-rise buildings followed by screeching tires and two blurs.

Vacation had grown old. Doing nothing had felt too much like doing nothing. There was no reward, no excitement, only the painful realization that everything he had worked for in his life had been accomplished. Kinotbor was dead and with no looming goals besides tracking down Colin, there wasn't much to look forward to.

Fiona dipped and weaved through traffic better than most cabbies. However, even with the faster car it wasn't hard for the two-tailed fox to keep up. With the lights on, traffic readily moved out of his way for what no doubt appeared to the average by stander as a high speed pursuit.

In reality, it was nothing more than a game. The foxes' fascination with playing cops and robbers had not diminished even when it was no longer required. By now, it had been written into their DNA to chase the other, if not for love then the thrill. However, for the sake of amusement they had decided to switch sides.

Memories streaked by as their chase ran deeper into the city. Like her, the kit had spent enough of his life in this awful place to know it better than most. He still couldn't be sure if its dreadful appearance and personality ran all the way to its core, or if underneath there was truly something enigmatic and alluring.

This city was full of places to hide, especially for someone as uncharacteristic as Colin. The long nosed man had always operated in the vast silhouette of his uncle, invisible to the world. Even now there wasn't the slightest mention of his name, only Ixis'. Finding an enigma, especially one privy to all of Kintobor's resources would be difficult.

Fiona had reminded him more than once that the short nephew of her former boss was strangely intelligent, which meant he was more than likely hold up in Dominion HQ. Nothing about ridding the world of a Kintobor had been easy and Colin was proving to be no exception. Unsurprisingly, chasing invisible men was hardly as rewarding as chasing each other.

Tails could hear the backfire of her car as she kicked it into a lower gear before veering into a bus lane. With an abundance of space Fiona took off down the straightaway. Smashing his paw into the soft spot at the center of the wheel, the kit gave the morning commuters an earful of horn, all but commanding they move out of his way.

At almost a block ahead his chase was beginning to look bleak until the one of Capital City's trollies pulled into the vixen's lane, effectively blocking her in. Slowing down was her only choice, even as the kit closed the distance.

"Got you now," the kit said to himself as he moved into pit the vixen's car.

Before he could nudge her off course, Fiona leaned her car into a turn that took her down an alley and out of sight. Tails sighed to himself as he passed the side street and slowed his car; there was no way the scrap heap he was driving would corner half as well. He would have to go around the block to pick her up again.

It was her home, she had made it plain and simple. Capital City was not something Fiona could leave behind even if it was the source of every painful moment in her life. This was her playground, and he was happy to share it with her.

Turning down the next one-way, Tails rolled slowly along the confined corridor, breaking when another car turned in on the opposite end. The kit flashed the siren, hoping it would scare the oncoming car, but the mystery vehicle made no signs of stopping.

When he checked his rear-view mirror there was another all black sedan, its headlights pinned on him in the shadows of the brick facades. The two-tailed fox sighed to himself, "what now?"

Someone had been following them. Any semblance of Julian's forces had long disappeared, replaced instead by the cronies that ran the underworld of Ixis' empire. The jet-black monikerless vehicles had all the makings of trouble.

The suits that got only confirmed it. Pin stripes ran down their hand-spun fabric, lending themselves nicely to the men's greased back hair and sharp jaw lines. Flipping a coin in the air, one of them approached.

_You again,_ the kit sighed silently.

"Mr. Prower he called out," with a smug face, "I do believe you are a little outside of your jurisdiction."

An eerie sense of alarm passed over him.

Rolling down the window, the kit called out, "You know it's against the law to interfere with police business."

The suit smiled, enjoying the joke.

Even with the cruiser's push bar, there was no going through a parked vehicle. Tails gritted his teeth as he relished in his unusual predicament. He was stuck, and the two-tailed fox could only hope that his new friends wanted to play nice. Reaching for anything that resembled a weapon was suicide.

"Can I help you?" the kit finally asked.

The smirk on the man's face grew steeper, "Heads or tails?"

"Is that even a question?"

"Right," he chuckled before letting his coin land in the palm of his hand. "Look at that, tails, you're a winner."

"And the prize?"

"Boss has been looking for you."

"Funny, I've been looking for him," the two-tailed fox lied.

_What's he still doing alive? Sonic was supposed to have taken care of him by now._

The man nodded to the car behind him, indicating that the Freedom Fighter should join. Reluctantly, Tails killed the engine in his stolen cruiser and stepped out to follow the crook.

No doubt on queue, a limo pulled in behind the black sedan. Ixis was accustomed to traveling in both style and comfort.

"I am going to need that," the pretty man said, nodding at the kit's holster.

Rather than put on a show, the kit found the clasp on his belt and handed the mobster every weapon and tool he had. Tails wanted to get this over with; he knew the drill after all.

Climbing into the darkness that smelled of shoe polish and whisky, the two-tailed fox eyed the crime lord cautiously. Fiona had warned them that when you put Naugus in your sites, you could expect him to return the favor.

"It's been a while," Tails said jokingly when the door was shut behind him.

"Not long enough," came his gruff voice.

"I suppose there's a reason for this," the kit suggested.

"More than one," the aging man responded before leaning in to get a better look at the fox. "When I got you out of this city alive, it was under the promise I wouldn't be seeing any more of you in person. This is my city now."

"You found me," the Mobian insisted.

"We both know it was only a matter of time before that changed."

"And is now the part where you ask me for help?"

The look on the man's face told the kit he was rather insulted by the words. "I don't need any help," Ixis spat.

"How exactly did you manage to let Collin cuff you? And who exactly is calling the shots anyway?"

"You've worn out your welcome, Mr. Prower."

The limo leaned to the side for a moment as something landed on top of it and rolled off the roof. Tails peeked out the heavily tinted window but there was nothing to be seen, only heard. The crunchy sound of bone under cartilage, a soft grunt or two, and a feint growl all echoed through the alley.

A worried look rose on Naugus' face as he tapped on the divider between him and his driver, nodding to one of the invisible men to check on things. Upon exiting the vehicle the man almost instantly disappeared, knocked to the ground by something out of sight.

Tails leaned back in the plush leather lined chair waiting for his door to open. In just a matter of seconds, the old man was outnumbered two to one by foxes and more so by tails.

"There you are," Fiona smiled as she settled into the spot next to Tails, dropping his holster in his lap. "I think you might have lost this."

Ixis sighed, "Incompetence surrounds me."

"This seems familiar, doesn't it?" the vixen said playfully before reaching anxiously for the spot where her collar used to be.

The nervous tick had never left her. Fiona had always reached for the collar to remind herself of her limits, of her owner. Now, without it, she wasn't sure how scared to be. Her tug on the nonexistent neckwear turned into a halfhearted scratch when her eyes met Miles'.

"Regretfully, yes," the mumbling man replied, "Inseparable are you now?"

The two vulpine shrugged in unison, reluctant to admit something they both knew to be true.

"What are you doing in Capital City?"

"Reminiscing," the red fox insisted.

"Nothing good ever follows the two of you."

"Sally wants you out of the way," Tails said bluntly.

"Does she?" the man raised an eyebrow curiously.

"She doesn't think you're acting of your own accord," Fiona continued.

"You mean these?" Ixis answered, flashing the bland metallic cuffs. "I'm playing that monkey's little game long enough to get out of them, and when I do I plan on strangling Colin with my own bare hands."

"What did you want with us?" Tails couldn't help but ask, all while noticing Fiona reach again for the bare spot on her neck.

"I already told you, this is my city and I don't either of you mucking it up. The two of you run around executing the first orders barked in your direction. There is more than one side to every story."

"Oh?" Fiona chuckled, "You mean like how you paid to relocate and hide my parent's killer? Or that you put your wife up to spying on Kintobor and got her killed?"

With a bewildered look, Naugus leaned back in a subtle admission.

"Those stories all sound better without the other side, don't they?" the vixen pressed. "So please, tell us what's so good about the other side of this one."

"Think you're something special now don't you?" the man said with disdain. "I made you! Without me you would be some dead little girl or one of Kinotbor's failed science experiments."

The vixen smiled riley in return as if to ask, "Is that all?"

"You're just another stupid bitch. I should have known better than to assume you would bother listening to any of my advice. Instead what do you do? Run off with the first fox you meet and then sign up as Julian's patsy. Since you came into this world, you have never been anything more than a pet; me, Julian, and now you're his," Ixis growled as he pointed at the two-tailed fox sitting next to her.

The aging man never saw it coming. Bone and cartilage broke beneath the fox's fist. Tails had moved at lightning speed across the small expanse that separated the seats in Naugus' limo.

Stepping backward, away from the crime lord, Tails shook out his paw, frantically trying to dull the pain in his knuckles while Ixis held a bleeding nose to the sky.

"I was wrong," Naugus gargled through the blood, "you're both pets and too whipped to even know it. There's more to all of this then either of you know."

"We're still waiting for you to share," Tails replied gruffly.

"Haven't you ever wondered how you have a foothold as strong as you do in this city? Who goes about purchasing property and businesses on your behalf?"

"So you're the one on the other end of the computer?" Tails said nearly dumbfounded.

"What's he talking about Miles?" the vixen whispered in his ear.

When Sally wasn't busy barking out orders, she was sitting at her terminal conversing with some very shady types. The types that had the means hide their identities from prying eyes. Tails had tried countless times to intercept the squirrel's communications, but no amount of tech savvy-ness would let him through Nicole's encryption.

After the princess had spent so much time for condemning Fiona for working with Naugus, here she was making deals with him left and right.

_And to what end?_

"When the Resistance wants something in this city, they come to me, Fiona. My prices may be steep, but I always deliver."

"You're just after the Acorn's deep pockets," Tails rolled his eyes.

"Of course. But I don't always trade in currency. You wouldn't believe how cheaply I was able to get your whereabouts whenever I wanted," the man laughed as he glanced at the Freedom Fighter. "Your life, Mr. Prower, a top tier Resistance fighter, cost me next to nothing."

"It was you!" Fiona said in a moment of clarity. "All those years, those little clues, the post cards, the flowers, the phone calls, you wanted me to find him."

Ixis' smile grew, "Of course, and you always did."

"Why?" the kit demanded.

"Like you care," the man smiled contently. "Besides, I have it on good authority you enjoyed yourself."

Fiona's growing sneer was eroded by a blush, "Julian knew?"

Ixis nodded, "He wanted to keep tabs on your two-tailed friend. And what better way to do that than hold on to what he holds most dear. He used you Fiona, but I think you already knew that."

"But why would he…"

"Let the two of you live?" Ixis finished her question for her. "Julian always had a habit of thinking he was smarter than he actually was."

Tails looked over as Fiona closed her eyes and shook her head in shame. His paw instinctively found her shoulder, but the vixen pulled away.

"It's all been a game," she muttered under breath. "He played me all that time, let me think our relationship was secret just so he could try and get his hands on the inhibitor."

"He used you," Ixis repeated, still holding his nose between his fingers, "just like he uses everyone, just like I use everyone. Why are you acting so surprised? Did you think you were special? It's because he let you think you were special!"

"What was I worth?" the kit finally spoke, "What was so valuable to Sally that she would give me up?"

"The same thing that I promised Julian," Ixis laughed painfully, "the inhibitor, which if I am not mistaken she, just like Julian, had in her possession for quite some time."

Tails bore a fang, trying to suppress his frustration, but he wasn't fooling anyone. They had both been used, betrayed even.

"You two really are perfect for each other," Naugus smiled. "Now get the hell out of my car."

Neither of them felt like disagreeing with him, even if they had him outnumbered and on the run. Fiona reached for the handle and Tails followed the bristles of her crimson tail into the thickening morning air.

"Why is he still alive?" Fiona asked when they were alone, timidness riddling her voice.

She knew as well as anyone Ixis wasn't a man to cross, even when it appeared you had the advantage.

"The better questions," Tails began as they strolled down the cluttered alley, "if Naugus is alive, then what happened to Sonic?"

"We could have…" the vixen began before looking over her shoulder to make sure no one was watching, but her two-tailed partner waved her off.

"Ixis could have Sonic and killing him won't help get my friend back."

* * *

><p>Who wants more action? Or would you prefer Drama? The field is wide open for either now that all of these chapters are in place. Let me know what you think and what you would like to see more of.<p>

Cheers,

M.D


	6. In Plain Sight

The darkness stank of stale air and despair. Tiptoeing behind the kit as they approached the entrance, Fiona came to a full stop at a threshold she had crossed only once before.

_Why here, Tails?_

Looking over his shoulder, Miles noticed her reluctance to proceed, "What's wrong?" he asked never having appreciated just how close she had come to dying the last time she let someone talk her into descending in the Den of Shadows.

"I'll just wait outside," the vixen responded, doing her best to sound calm and collected.

"Come on," he insisted, "I just want to ask around and see if anyone has seen Sonic. And if you want I can introduce you to the Johnnies."

"Yeah…" she replied reluctantly before taking a step into the darkness, "sure. Why not?"

_They'll kill me,_ she reminded herself but was still too ashamed to admit it aloud.

"What's with you?"

"Nothing," she answered quickly, "I'm fine."

The floorboards creaked eerily under the addition of their weight, bowing gently as their boots clapped softly against the wooden surface. It was as bleak and lightless as she remembered. Even with her superb vision, only varying shades of grey presented themselves, behind which, anyone could be hiding.

"Mr. Prower," a pair of green eyes called out tepidly.

If she didn't know better the person sounded anxious.

"Johnny," the kit replied quietly, approaching a booth in the corner.

Reluctantly she followed, pressing her shoulder tight against his, fearful of whom else might be lurking in the shadows.

When they were seated across from him, Jonny spoke again, this time in surprise, "You brought her?"

The mysterious creature's eyes traced hers before leaning into an invisible light. An aging raccoon emerged, his better years behind him. The black furred rings around his eyes well past the size they ought to be with flecks of grey woven throughout.

"What do you mean?" the kit asked in surprise, "have you met already?"

Shaking his head, Johnny turned his attention back to the two-tailed fox, "She's on our naughty list."

_Of course I am…_

Miles smirked, "That's not too surprising."

"It might be if you knew why," the Mobian sighed before turning his gaze back to her.

Bashfully, she looked away, struggling to find anything but blackness to focus on.

"Hey, where's Johnny?" Miles asked noticing the lack of what she presumed was another Johnny.

With his fingers in a steeple, the Mobian was reluctant to reply, "On a crusade of sorts."

"A crusade?" the two-tailed fox chuckled. "For what?"

"That's the question indeed."

Fiona would have been more concerned with what they were talking about if she wasn't so scared. It was the echidna, the same one who had nearly killed both her and partner four years ago. He sat at the bar, arms folded, eyes locked with her.

"Miles, sweetie," the vixen interrupted whispering, "he won't stop looking at me."

When the kit turned to follower her eyes, they fell upon a shadow an even deeper shade of red than her own. The Mobian's gaze was fixated upon Fiona, seemingly unable to be broken.

"Hey Knuckles," the kit waved, unconcerned by her state of alarm.

The Echidna's demeanor remained unchanged. Fiona had tried so hard to go unnoticed, but now it seemed that everyone in the room was watching her. Unsure of what to do, she sunk lower into the booth, hiding as best she could in its depths.

"Ohhh," Miles said aloud in realization, "That naughty list."

"Yes," Knuckles replied, "that one."

The kit looked stunned, almost as if he had never heard the guardian speak before. His booming voice was impressive, easily capable of standing fur on end.

"What can I do?" Miles asked with no hesitation.

"It's funny you ask," Johnny replied. "As it turns out we are in need of some assistance. A most unusual circumstance I assure you."

"Anything you need."

"My partner," Johnny began until the echidna cleared his throat. "Our partner, as I previously mentioned, has gone missing. Given our – how should I say this – Restrictions, we need someone whom we trust to track him down before things get out of hand."

_What restrictions?_

"If you help us, Fiona," Knuckles added, "I might be willing to look the other way… even after what you did."

"I didn't meant to," the vixen began, but the Raccoon's paw found her muzzle clamping it shut.

"You have no idea what you nearly did," he roared, "and it's the only reason you're still breathing."

As his grip tightened, Fiona glanced over at her partner hoping for some display of concern. There was none to be found. Tails sat there watching as if he didn't even know her. She knew they were guardians, but had hoped for some compassion.

_Don't let me down again, Miles. _

"That and him," Johnny said pointing at the two-tailed fox next to her.

Her breaths quickened when he finally released her, but she was resolute in remaining fearless. She had spent the early part of her life tracking people down for a living. If continued existence hinged on finding another, the vixen was feeling good about her chances.

"Can you tell us anymore about Johnny?" she asked as if nothing had happened, now somewhat intrigued with the notion of tracking down a guardian. "When you last saw him, what he was doing, why he might have left?"

"We could," the raccoon answered, "but were not sure how important that is to finding him. We would rather a fresh set of eyes look at this from the beginning without being tainted by our rather diverse opinions on the subject."

"And where is the beginning?"

The barstool lurched as the echidna lowered himself to the ground. Slamming his shimmering fist onto the table in front of her he presented a small scrap of paper. Fiona stood no chance of reading it inside the depths of the den, but she could only assume that was the point.

"Find him," Knuckles demanded before fading from sight in a way she thought not possible.

"Now then, Mr. Prower. Was there something you needed?" Johnny asked, forcing Fiona to bring her attention back to those at the table in front of her.

"It can wait," he replied as he began to push the vixen out of the booth. "I wouldn't want to keep you or Knuckles."

The raccoon nodded, "he may be thickheaded at times, but Johnny is a friend and we need him back."

_It looks like everyone has had a friend go missing lately. _

"So," Miles began when they exited the Den.

"So, you just sat there and watched while Johnny held my mouth shut like I was a pup."

"Fiona, they're guardians…"

"Don't you think I know that!" she barked back, frustrated.

"Even if I wanted to there's nothing I could do. You can't kill a guardian and trying will land you on the very same list you're on at the moment. The best thing you can do is not provoke them. They're not allowed to do anything to you unless you do something to them, which makes me wonder what you did to piss them off?"

"It was Jake's doing," she sighed.

"Well that's not surprising," the kit rolled his eyes.

If she didn't know better there was jealousy hidden in them. After all she had spent nearly four years working together with the overgrown Dominion agent while he watched from a distant sideline.

"He broke some rules and I got his ass out of trouble just like always."

"Huh," Tails began to scratch his head, "that doesn't sound that bad."

"When Knuckles was about to turn him into his new punching bag, I pulled the pin on a flashbang and we ran," she added reluctantly, hoping that detail wouldn't matter.

"Oh."

"What's the big deal? What are they protecting?" she asked.

"I wish I knew. It's the secret the guardians guard. And I am sure you noticed they don't exactly welcome light down there. You may as well have set off a bomb."

"So now they want to kill me?"

"It's not exactly them I don't think. Guardians don't just kill people because they can... well generally not anyway."

"Then who?"

"That's a little harder to explain."

Fiona exhaled deeply as she unfolded the paper, trying to pretend she didn't care about Tails' obvious attempts at avoiding the subject.

"It's an address," she piped up in surprise, "just a few blocks from here too."

"Anything you recognize?"

"Maybe when I see it," the vixen replied as she picked up the pace. "But I still don't understand what do they need us for? Why they can't find Johnny themselves… I mean their Guardians."

"Which is why they can't. They need to stand guard. I haven't ever seen one of them more than a couple of blocks from the den and certainly for never more than an hour or two."

"Oh…" Fiona said realizing how odd it must be for one of them to go missing, "then Johnny going AWOL is a pretty big deal."

The kit nodded as they rounded a corner.

The building listed on Knuckles' note was nothing out of the ordinary. A small run town red bricked townhome smashed against another. Miles took a few steps up the porch to peer into the dimly lit window.

"Are you sure this is it?" he asked softly.

Checking the note again, she nodded her head. A family of humans sat around the television, staring mindlessly into its glow. This didn't make any sense.

_What would a Guardian be doing here?_

"Lets have a look around back."

_This looks more promising._

Cans littered the alleyway while trash bags were heaped to either side. It was not an attractive place, but that made it all the more interesting to check out.

"Look," she said softly kneeling down to a patch of dried blood. "Who's do you think this is?"

"Could be anyone's," the kit replied strolling past her in favor of the door at the end of the tiny dead end street.

"Huh, it's empty," he said with surprise after walking through the unlocked door.

"Were you expecting someone?"

The kit shrugged before moving towards a desk, thumbing through the loose papers.

"It belongs to an Amy Rose."

"Never heard of her."

Fiona had spent years doing Kintbor's dirty work. If Amy was an important Mobian in this city, then she would have known about her.

"She's got a diary over here," Tails mentioned as he took a seat at the small bureau.

"And you're just going to read it aren't you?" the vixen asked, shaking her head in disappointment.

Atop a dresser on the far side of the room sat a picture of a hedgehog. It was not however, the one that had nearly killed her. This Mobian had a pink hue to her quills and was dressed up with the softest of smiles.

"Does it say anything about Sonic?" Fiona turned towards her partner.

"What happened to not reading it?" Miles mocked her before turning another page.

"This did," she replied, setting the frame down gently next to him.

"So, she's a hedgehog, there's plenty of them. What makes you think she knows Sonic?"

"She's a Mobian I've never heard of living in Capital City in an apartment that is nearly impossible to find. That takes resources and credits, a lot of them, the type of stuff the Resistance has access too."

"Or a guardian. You might be over thinking this a bit, we've only been here two minutes."

"Miles sweetie, I hunted people, including you, down for years. This is all second nature to me. He was hiding her. That's a fact. Maybe she's family, maybe she's a Resistance operative, or…" Fiona stopped when the answer hit her like a ton of bricks.

"Or...?"

She wasn't sure how to say how else to say it, "his girlfriend."

"But he and Sally are…" the two-tailed fox attempted to explain before she cut him off.

"Are what exactly? I have only ever heard them yell at each other."

The kit's eyes burned into hers, trying to find the hate in her words. However, this wasn't out of any spite she harbored for the Mobian, this was deduction and Tails didn't want to follow the trail of breadcrumbs.

"Yeah but they're always like that."

"And?"

"And that's not nearly enough evidence to accuse him of something like this. Besides, we're not even looking for Sonic, we're looking for Johnny."

"Just read through her stupid diary," Fiona rolled her eyes, "I'll keep looking for something else."

The rest of the apartment was near bare. Hardly anything of value anywhere, but when you lived in a neighborhood like this that wasn't surprising. Falling to her knees, the vixen resorted to searching under the bed. A dark mush of cloth was pushed up against the wall.

"Hey," Tails said with some excitement, "I might have found something here."

"Just a second," she replied, pushing herself further into the dust filled cavern.

"She mentions both the Jonny's a couple times in here. It's about how she doesn't trust one and the other seems to keep an oddly close eye on her."

"So?" she felt the need to ask in revenge.

"So maybe Johnny had a thing for her."

"And you called my theories ridiculous," Fiona laughed from under the bed as she finally grabbed hold of what felt like a backpack.

"According to this, he would always talk with her at the den and even walked her home a couple of times."

Ignoring the two-tailed fox she plopped herself down on the hedgehog's bed looking for the buckles to the canvas pack.

"Do you think he took her somewhere?" he asked turning around in his chair to face her.

Opening the bag she began rummaging through its contents, "beats me, it's your theory."

"Well do you have any that don't involve Sonic?"

The vixen's paw stumbled on something cold and metallic hidden beneath a layer of clothes. The sheer weight of it made it feel valuable, while the texture implied it might be foreign.

"Well, how about this thing?" Fiona suggested hoisting the mysterious object into the air, "it looks kind of important. Maybe Johnny came here for it?"

The kit nearly fell of his chair, "Where did you get that?"

"It was in this bag under the bed. Why? What is it?" she asked twirling the large ring around her finger.

It wasn't anything pretty to look at. On the contrary, it was wrapped in tiny dull golden wires that were so thin they could have been thread. Yet the device was solid as steel and seemed to hum in her hand.

"It's a power ring," Tails said still in disbelief.

"A power ring?"

"It's Sonics," he conceded, "he's the only person in this whole city who might have one."

There was no force on earth to stop a smile from creeping up all the way to the bottom of her ears.

"What do these things do?"

"They're kind of like batteries, except for Mobians," the kit explained, "and not everyone can use them."

"Let me guess, Sonic can?"

Tails nodded, "You know how fast he is right? With one of those…"

"What about me then? Would it make me faster?"

"Maybe, but probably not. Sonic is good at running fast, so it lets him run even faster."

"Then what about you? What does it do for you?" she asked assuming he was among those who could use them.

Miles shrugged his shoulders, "Haven't ever gotten one to work for me. I can feel the energy, but I can't seem to tap into it."

"You mean the pulse? The ring feels like it's alive."

The kit smiled, "You can feel it? Sally can't… she would be pissed to no end if she found out."

Fiona continued to spin the ring around her finger, wondering just how rare the gift was. If only a handful of Mobians could feel the energy and fewer still could use it, discovering the ring was feeling less and less like an accident and more like fate.

"I get the feeling this isn't some type of fluke?"

"I stopped believing in coincidences a long time ago. Sonic was here, and so was Johnny and now they're both missing."

"What makes you so certain Johnny was?"

Holding out the open diary he pointed to the uncharacteristically neat handwriting, "Because she mentions how he helped her look for the person following her at night… It's dated three days ago," the kit sighed.

"If there was someone following her," Fiona began, "who could possibly take on both Sonic and a Guardian?"

Well placed irony was growing old for the vixen. Instead of the kit's voice she heard a man's, "Yes sir, we left the apartment untouched just as you requested. Everything's z'actly how we found it."

Tails had already moved next to the door, pistol in hand.

"Good," a squeaky accent followed, "the last thing I need is one of you gorillas messing anything up."

Fiona's jaw dropped. She recognized this one having heard far more times than she would have liked. _What's he doing here?_

"Colin," she whispered as softly as she could. "That's Colin Kintobor."

Tails' eyes widened as his posture stiffened.

When doors opened there was supposed to be opportunity on the other side, but in this case it was nothing more than potential death. Fiona watched, ring in hand, as a shocked agent raised his weapon shouting, "Don't move!"

She caught the ring mid twirl and froze, looking near hopelessly at the four agents that had forced their way into the room. It was hard to believe they walked right past Miles, but the two-tailed fox had a thing for the shadows. It was often hard to tell where his fur ended and the darkness began.

Snively pushed the armored men aside as he made his way to the front, carelessly unaware as the rest to the danger lurking behind them.

"What do we have here?"

Fiona smiled softly, "Hello Colin."

"Fiona," his grin grew, "it's so nice to see you again."

Her lack of response was meant to convey her disagreement, but the man pressed on, just as he always did.

"Do you live here with her? Is the Freedom Fighter's little whore house?"

"You must mean Amy," Fiona replied as she pushed herself off the bed. "This is her place… I prefer something with a little more style myself."

Every agent was on their toes, following her with their sites, fingers itching to pull the trigger.

"I'm sure we can find something to your tastes," he cackled.

"I didn't train any of you did I?" Fiona looked all the agents up and down.

All of them looked to Snively hoping he would respond in their steed.

"Didn't think so," she continued when no when said anything. "It's a shame really."

"What are you yapping about?" the short man demanded.

"Do they know who I am?" she laughed.

"Your Kintobor's old pet," one of them piped up, "we know all about you."

"Obviously none of you are familiar with my most known associate," the vixen retorted before dropping the ring to the floor.

"Nice try Fiona," Colin laughed as he watched it roll across the room from the corner of his eye, "but I am not falling for one of your little distractions."

It wasn't until it hit the wall did everyone see whom else was in the room with them. Kneeling down the two-tailed fox picked up the Power Ring, but before anyone could react the kit flickered out of existence leaving them all stunned and scrambling.

Had she not seen Knuckles disappear in a similar fashion earlier that night she might have gasped. Given the kit's present ability to disappear when no one was looking, it wasn't surprising to see him do it when they were. He hadn't lied about the Power Ring.

Every Dominion agents was the same, their first answer to any potential problem was bullets. Plugging her ears, the vixen watched as they senselessly emptied their weapons into nothing hoping to hit something they couldn't see. Holes filled the wall as it splintered and crumbled.

"Stop you idiots!" Colin screamed cowering into a ball, but no one was likely to hear over him over the roar gunfire.

When the last of the brass clattered to the floor, Fiona removed her paws from her ears. Now it was their turn. With his back to her, the first agent never saw the vixen coming.

Collapsing the back of his knee, she spared no force in her kick. Relieving him of his riffle, Fiona spun it round in her hands before smashing it across the side of his face. Helmet or not, it was enough to send him in search of consciousness on the oak floor.

When she turned to take on her next enemy, the vixen found an incoming fist. Closing her eyes she prepared for a blow that never came. After a moment of stillness she managed to build of the courage to peek out from behind her eyelids. Miles was holding back a punch that might have knocked her out cold.

Grabbing hold of the agents helmet, she ripped it off and flung it across the room. Before she could do more however, the man was able to overcome the kit's grasp and push him backwards. Diving forward the agent managed to tackle nothing but air as Tails vanished from sight like spotty TV channel.

Fiona was there to greet him when he stood up. The pain in her knuckles spouted up quickly, but not before the agent stumbled backwards into the waiting roundhouse kick of her two-tailed partner.

The last agent standing was fumbling madly to align a magazine with his weapon's receiver, shaking even more feverishly as the vulpine approached.

Before he could manage to cock the weapon, Fiona slapped it out of his hand, smiling her wry smile. Sinking their fists into the man's galvanized armor wasn't an option, but bending every limb he had to its breaking point was.

Swinging wildly the ill tempered Dominion agent attempted to fight back, but he was only met with more pain when his own attacks were turned against him. Jabs were swatted aside while the foxes took turns breaking furniture over his head.

Growing bored of their one-sided tag-team wrestling match; the vixen's paws finally stumbled across a cast iron kettle, which she promptly tossed to her partner. Given his previous experience in wielding kitchenware as a weapon she had little doubt he would know what to do with it. The dull thud produced when the pot collided with the agent's helmet nearly gave her a headache.

Breathing heavily she looked around the room as the last agent crumbled to the floor. Most Dominion agents were in a cognitive state only bordering on consciousness, while another rest in a pool of crimson liquid, blood pouring out of the deep gashes in his armor.

Fiona could see blood dripping from the blackened steel blade in the kit's holster. A blade was every bit as dangerous as a gun when no one could see you.

"Figure out what it does?" she asked rhetorically.

Miles nodded as he approached the only remaining human, "I always was good at hiding. This makes it even easier," he replied tossing the ring back to her.

Yanking Snively up to his depressing height by the collar of his newly pressed shirt, Tails stared him in the eyes, "What do we have here?"

* * *

><p>I will try to get the next chapter up this week to make up for my slowness in posting this one. I have it about 90% done. I am doing my best to work more action into everything. Feedback welcomed and appreciated.<p>

Cheers,

M.D


	7. Roses are Red

I don't like putting notes at the beginning of chapters, but I feel like it would be best for this one. Because I have been taking so long to do updates, the beginning of this chapter might be confusing as far as how it ties in to the story. It would be less confusing, or at least so I hope, if you could read this like a book one chapter after another without weeks in-between each. So rather than say what's going on I am just going to post the last couple paragraphs of chapter 5 so that you get the flow I intended...

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><p>End of Chapter 5<p>

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><p>Johnny shut the door behind him, returning to the darkness from which he came. A thick muggy air was there to greet the man when he made his way back into the alley. This part of town was quiet, even for the late hour. An odd feeling pricked at a sense he seldom listened to. <em>Who's there,<em> he almost called out.

A bottle clanked across the concrete as a large figure stepped between him and the street.

"You," Johnny snorted in surprise as he rummaged through his pockets for a pack of cigarettes.

"Me," came the response.

"You're supposed to be dead," the Guardian responded as he pulled out one of the tobacco filled sticks with his lips.

The shadowy figure cackled a little, "says who?"

With a snap of his fingers, Johnny ignited his cigarette, watching the orange glow travel toward him with a deep inhale.

"What are you going to do Julian? I am not letting you near her, and it's not like you can kill a Guardian…" but his thoughts stopped there as the world turned the blackest shade of black.

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><p>Chapter 7 - Roses are Red<p>

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><p>"Daddy?" a voice shouted at him.<p>

_What now? _

He shuttered the thought of having to wake up, even for her. A tiny pair of hands pushed him side to side, rousing him from a deep sleep. Even if she didn't mean to be, Rose was the gentlest creature on earth.

"What is it Rose? What's wrong?" Johnny asked delicately, eyes still closed.

"Let's go! You promised!"

The long hours on the night shift left him feeling ragged, but it was the only way he could be there for her.

"What time is it?" He managed in a muted voice only the ears of a five year old could understand.

"Everyone is already lining up, daddy, I don't want to miss it."

_The parade, _Johnny finally realized, _she wants to go see the parade._

The whole town would be there, even the town's newest migrants, the Mobians. A holiday such as this wouldn't be missed by anyone.

"Alright, alright," he stifled through a yawn before the girl began to tug at his arm relentlessly.

It was an agonizing fifteen minutes chalk full of pining and wining before Johnny was able to get dressed and find his way out the door of his rundown apartment. Thankfully however, their journey would be short. He had managed to find a place just far enough from downtown to be affordable but close enough to walk everywhere he needed.

Grasping her tiny hand in his, he guided her through the widening streets as they approached one the city's main roads. People were already lining up. While the parade could easily be considered trivial and lame by any outsider's standards, it was all they had. It was one of the few events that brought everyone together.

Hand in hand he and his daughter strolled the crowds, trying to find someplace to stand where they could see A large gap opened up between groups of Mobians, to which his daughter readily pointed.

"No Rose, not over there. I don't want you anywhere near those fifthly creatures."

"Daddy, why don't you like the Mobians?"

The reasons were too complex for a five year old to understand. They were hiding, all of them. Since Julian had come into power, talking animals had some semblance of a price on their head. Instead of turning back to the forest from which they came, the Mobians were hiding in human cities. And aside from taking all the blue-collar work, they were threatening to bring war to every town they entered.

"You can't trust animals, sweetie, you never know when they'll bite you. Come over here where it's safer."

Rocksburrow had enough problems with degenerates, adding in another species only made things worse. Employing nearly half the town, the aging steel mill readily shed its over paid union workers for the influx of cheap labor. Everything was ripe for disaster.

"But how will I see?" she asked in desperation.

"That's easy," Johnny replied as he lifted the girl effortlessly on to his shoulders.

She giggled with delight as a marching band came into view.

Plenty of people sympathized with the Mobians, but most had no skin in the game. It was easy to see the plight of a displaced group, that was, until it got in the way of putting food on your family's table.

"Look daddy," Rose exclaimed pointing towards a clown on stilts, who, was at best haphazardly juggling an impressive number of bowling pins.

Sadly, Johnny could relate to the clown's predicament. He was himself juggling more than he could handle, forgoing presentation and form in hopes that if he focused hard enough he wouldn't drop anything. Taking care of Rose was a full time job and mixing it in with the other two that he was actually getting paid for left little room for sanity.

_But today is a good day__,_ he reminded himself. A national holiday to be exact, a day where even someone like him could relax.

A low flying jet streaked by overhead followed briefly by a sonic boom. The crowed roared with delight. Theatrics of this magnitude were seldom seen so far away from a major city, especially since Julian had declared war on the Mobians.

What Johnny thought was just a brief display of air power returned in force, this time an entire sortie of fighter jets thundered past just hundreds of feet above the buildings. Everyone was straining their necks looking into the bright cloudless sky hoping for a glimpse of another machine.

Patches of round cloth sprung up against the blue above them. Pretty soon the sky was filled with them, a few turning into a dozen or more.

"What are they?" the girl atop his shoulders inquired.

"They're parachutes," with a small amount of concern.

What ever they were and whatever highflying plane they fell out of, the objects were not falling slowly. In the distance, Johnny could see people fleeing as a large hunk of metal collided with the grounds sending up an enormous cloud of dust.

_That could have killed someone, what were they thinking. _

More and more could be heard touching down around the city. the ground thrummed with the force of a thousand war drums as the sound grew closer. Looks of panic began to spread amongst the parade's onlookers.

_Is this part of the show?_

"What's going on daddy?" Rose asked politely.

"It's part of the parade," he replied only half believing it himself.

Whatever had dropped from the sky had finally gotten up, all twelve tons of it. A massive chaingun wielding robot stood an impressive twelve feet, rotating slowly as it began to scan the crowd. Without hesitation it opened fire as soon as it spotted a group of Mobians, spraying lead across an entire block.

_Did someone forget to tell them there are humans here too?_ He thought before covering his daughter's eyes.

The thing had just cut down nearly a dozen people. Turning to look down another street Johnny spotted other mechs murdering indiscriminately in even more heinous ways. No one, regardless of their allegiance seemed to be safe.

"We need to go, Rose!" Johnny squeaked in a weak voice, pulling her down from his shoulders.

It wasn't long before the killing machines started to move in his direction. Bullets whizzed by as he ducked lower shielding his daughter from the hail of bullets. The blast of gunfire was growing near as deafening as Rose's screams.

_Hold on Rose, just hold on._

Turning down the first alley, Johnny found himself face to face with a half a dozen Mobians, each armed to the teeth. Halting in place, he begged them, "Please, no. I have nothing to do with this. Don't…"

His pleas however, fell on deaf ears and the group passed by without so much as a glance. They had no interest in him or his daughter. Instead they were focused on protecting their own families and homes.

"Bring that thing down," a wolf yelled just before the unmistakable whoosh of an RPG could be heard screeching down the street.

Johnny nearly found himself laughing at the thought this city's only defense being the citizens he loathed the most. Perhaps in his younger more rebellious years he would have joined them. Part of him missed the thrill, but he had Rose now.

A perfectly good Monday had evaporated into a war zone and he was caught right in the middle of it. Large explosions were echoing in the distance, overshadowed only by the chilling screams of their victims.

"Daddy!" Rose screamed, "What's going on?"

Johnny had no breath to explain. He was already at a full sprint, running endlessly between a maze of buildings. He paused when he came to the end of the alley, peering out into one of the busier streets, "Just stay calm, Rose, we're going to be alright."

It was a lie, but one that he needed to tell himself as much as her. Half the city was up in flames already. As best he could tell only luck would save them at this point, but Johnny wasn't about to lie down and die.

Dashing out into the road he found himself narrowly escaping a ferocious explosion, the force of which sent him to the ground. With the building behind him crumbling, Johnny was now stuck in the middle of the street with gunshots echoing from every direction. A glance at Rose revealed she had moved past a look of fright and was now well into tears and possibly in shock.

_Get up or you're dead! Get up!_

Willing himself back to his feet Johnny set to running again, but not before something akin to a bullet caught him the arm. He did his best to withhold the howl, but his daughter did not. The round had gone right through his bicep and into her shoulder.

_Who would do this? Who could shoot a child?_

It was impossible to say for sure who had done the deed, but what he knew with certainty that it was the Mobian's fault. If they hadn't bothered coming to this place then he wouldn't be holding a bleeding five year old right now.

Finding himself behind a parked car Johnny took some time to examine the damage. Only a fragment had made it into her, but the blood wasn't showing any signs of stopping.

_A hospital, I need a hospital, _he struggled to think over the terror Rose's screams.

It was an agonizing four blocks away. That was, if it still existed.

_Who would destroy a hospital?_ Johnny pondered before reminding himself it would probably be the very same people that would begin murdering people on a national holiday.

It was a clear example of counter insurgency tactics. Julian had waited until all the Mobians could be found in one place and then struck with unimaginable force. The parade was a perfect trap, they were all out celebrating as far away from hiding as could be. Everyone else who just happened to be there would simply be a casualty of war.

_Not even the Mobians would have seen this coming._

"Hold on Rose, daddy's going to make everything alright."

_Who am I kidding?_

Left, then right, and up through the broken window of a store front, Johnny didn't relent. He had to get to the hospital or live the rest of his life knowing he had failed everyone he loved. Exiting into the alley behind the building he walked cautiously towards the town square.

The hospital was in sight, but across a street already strewn with bodies and blood. He had no desire to add either of theirs to the pile.

"Psst, buddy," a voice called out from behind.

Turning he found two green orbs staring at him from an open door. Stepping closer the fuzzy outline of a muzzle came into view. An older looking raccoon was beckoning that he follow, "you're looking for the hospital right?"

Johnny nodded. His interest in trusting a Mobian was limited, but given the circumstances what choice did he really have.

"In here and hurry," the furry creature insisted.

Stepping inside, Johnny quickly kicked the door shut behind him, doing his best to comfort Rose, "easy now, Rose."

"Down here," the Mobian pointed at a cellar stairs, "the tunnel will take you there."

Johnny wanted to say thank you, but the only thing that came out of his mouth was, "why?"

"Wouldn't you do the same? Wouldn't you try to make a difference?"

He couldn't answer. He couldn't bring himself to say 'no' to the person who might have just saved he and his daughter's life. Turning towards the rickety stairs he descended cautiously into the dimly lit abyss, leaving the raccoon answerless and alone.

The ground rumbled as dust fell from the ceilings. Johnny wondered if it would ever stop, _what's left for them to blow up?_

It didn't matter, he needed to focus now. The flickering lights guided his way through the crumbling tunnel where a set of stairs took him back to the surface. As soon as the door opened Johnny was greeted with whales of sorrow and moans of the dyeing. Doctors, nurses, and common folk scurried about running from one room to another trying to deal with pure pandemonium.

"Can someone help me?" he asked meekly at first, but the people in lab coats and scrubs didn't bat an eye.

"Please!" he shouted this time, "someone help me!"

A doctor finally caught his pleading gaze, "what is it?"

"My daughter," Johnny insisted holding the now whimpering girl out for her to examine.

"Set her down over here," the woman with auburn hair replied.

A gurney on the opposite side of the hall was pressed against the wall, outside the flow of foot traffic. Rose winced in pain as he set her on the mattress.

"This is serious," came the concern, "she's lost a lot of blood."

Johnny finally took the time to look down at his shirt. It was stained red from collar to tail.

_Is this my blood or hers?_

"Will she be alright?" he asked instinctively.

With a subtle twitch in her less than assuring smile, the doctor replied, "of course."

_She's all I have._

"What about you? Are you okay?" the doctor quickly followed up as she took note of his arm.

"Just a scratch," he played it off, "I'll be fine. Just help her."

With a few hand signals a hare nearly as tall as he was appeared at the doctor's side. Dressed in nurse scrubs, the Mobian smiled sweetly at his daughter, brushing the blood stained hair from her eyes.

The Doctor no doubt saw his worried look when the rabbit arrived, "You have nothing to worry about Mr…?"

"Roberts… Cye."

_Wait, that's not my name. "_My name is Cye," he repeated aloud only defying what he knew to be true once more. _Why can't I say my name!?_ It was as if he wasn't actually there, but instead watching from a perspective that just happened to be his own.

"Well Cye," the woman said sweetly, "I assure you Aiden here is here to help just as much as me. Now if you'll excuse us, we need to get her into surgery before this gets any worse."

And like that Johnny watched as his only family left in the world was wheeled away by a Mobian.

"What can I do?" the man begged as he followed after them.

"Stay out of the way," the woman said as politely as possible.

Stopping cold Johnny watched as Rose disappeared through a set of double doors labeled trauma.

The lobby floor was stained crimson. Blood had soaked into the aging oak, giving it an inordinately dark hue while its occupants were in varying forms of shock. Hospitals were hardly ever happy places, but today that seemed especially true.

_At least it's safe._

"Hey mister," someone asked tugging at his blood stained shirt, "are you okay?"

"Fine," Johnny managed before looking down at the girl responsible for making all the fuss.

She looked like a smaller version of the doctor he had just spoken with. The same color auburn hair fell in neat little curls around her cheeks while the scrubs that were two sizes too big for her crumpled up around her ankles.

"That arm doesn't look 'fine' to me," she replied in an almost sassy tone, "let me fix that up for you."

_She can't be more than twelve,_ he nearly snorted.

"Sure," Johnny relented before sitting down on a flimsy metal chair, "why not?"

She was quick to cut away his sleeve with a small pair of sheers. He wanted to complain, but realized the futility in something so trivial.

"What ever it was went right through," the girl exclaimed, "you're lucky."

_Tell that to my daughter. _

There was no end to the supplies she had tucked away in her messenger bag. After the gauze came a bottle of hydrogen peroxide. Johnny winced as she dabbed the open wound.

"My mom can give you some stiches later… if you want," she continued as she wrapped his arm in a bandage.

All he could do was stare out a window as the carnage continued right before his eyes. Buildings disappeared in the distance while entire families, both Mobian and human, evaporated into clouds of red mist. Julian's desire to destroy what he viewed as an infestation was as indisputable as his ability to actually do it.

_Why did they have to come here?_ Johnny shook his head.

The girl joined him looking out the window and together they watched evil.

Seconds flowed into minutes where no words were spoken, only exasperated sound of their breathing confirmed that the other was alive. Young or old it was difficult to take in, the violence was beyond senseless even if behind it there was a purpose. The girl was first to break the silence.

"Mister, do you think we should help him?" she exclaimed while pointing outside.

Following her finger, Johnny found a Mobian trapped beneath an overturned car.

He shook his head, "no, it's not worth it."

"But we can save him," came her response as she rushed towards the door, medical bag in hand.

_Is she mad, there's a war going on out there!_

"Hey!" he yelled after her, "Girl! You can't…" _go out there, _he finished the sentence in his head as she exited the building.

Instinctively Johnny found himself moving towards the door.

_What are you doing Johnny? Don't go out there, _But his hand was already on the handle.

"My name is Mara," the girl said sternly from the top of the steps, "not girl."

She was a sassy one, and well past smart for her age.

"It's not safe, Mara."

"Nothing around here is safe," she spat back.

"Yes but…"

"Are you going to help or not!?"

_Do I have a choice?_

"Okay," he conceded.

"Good then come on," she yelled back at him as she bound down the stairs.

_She is going to get herself killed!_

In a few long strides Johnny caught up with her, nearly tackling her to the ground as a rocket tore past the two of them.

"You can't just run out there," he screamed. "They don't care that you're a little girl."

"I told you my name is Mara!"

_The temper on this one._

"I promise they care even less about your name, Mara. Follow me."

Ducking behind a bench Johnny peered out into the street. The car was still a good twenty-five yards away.

_What are you doing, Johnny? Rose still needs you, you can't go die'n now._

"Are you ready to run?" he asked over his shoulder.

The girl nodded.

"On three then. One. Two," and before he could say three he grabbed her hand and ran.

Bullets pecked at the ground as a soldier began to open fire. Johnny didn't take the time to stop and figure out who they were fighting for and instead focused on diving onto the pavement next to the Mobian.

The raccoon smiled at him, cautiously. It was the same one who had saved him earlier. If it weren't for the girl, Johnny would have been happy to leave the creature to his fate. Instead it might now appear as if he was returning the favor.

Mara jumped right into action, crawling over to the injured Mobian, "Hey there."

"What are you doing out here?" the raccoon asked frantically, "You're going to get yourselves killed."

_I know…_

"Just trying to make a difference," the girl responded.

Johnny faked a grin of agreement.

"Can you move?" she quickly followed up.

Frowning now, "Not with this thing on top of me."

Mara turned towards Johnny now, "Can you move it?"

"A car?" he stammered before seeing their optimism, "…I suppose I can try."

Digging his heels into the ground, Johnny pressed his back into the frame and pushed with everything he had left. The vehicle lurched ever so slightly allowing the creature wriggle free.

"Can you move?" Mara asked while Johnny checked the street for more enemies.

_Where did they all go?_

"I think so," came the Mobians reply.

Johnny shushed the two of them, "listen."

Everyone stood still listening to the sounds of silence.

_Why would they just stop? Unless…_

"Time to go," he yelled grabbing each of them by the collars of their shirts.

He got no more than five steps before a warm blast reached his back propelling them all through the air. Dust, fire, and smoke filled his world as the gritty pain of the asphalt tore at his skin. Mara and the raccoon had long ago left his grip, no doubt being swept away in the same blast.

The agony was as endless as the ringing in his ears. Sitting up, Johnny couldn't figure out how he was alive. The world appeared to be suspended flickering in an endless loop of burning buildings and screams.

_That was too close, I should have never left the…_ but then he saw what remained of the hospital he had left his daughter in.

"Rose," the man quivered as his mind began to catch up. "No."

Bringing himself to his feet, Johnny staggered to the wall of flame-covered debris searching for the only person he cared about. Never had defeat settled in so quickly. No one could have survived what had just occurred.

"Over here," someone with a deep menacing voice called out casually, "there's another survivor over here."

A man in a red suit stood before Johnny, watching curiously as he cried.

_Julian!_

"You did this!"

"I did," came his reply.

"I'll, I'lll…" Johnny stammered as he watched one Dominion agent after another take their place at the president's side.

"You'll what?" Kintobor asked, seemingly amused by the distraught man before him.

"Hey! Wake up! You hear me in there?" Someone asked out of nowhere. "Wake up!"

Then came a sting on the side of his cheek. Ignoring his foes, Johnny looked around frantically for the source to discover nothing but a fading reality. Colors of an even darker world flooded his senses and when his eyes opened he found a familiar looking smug faced raccoon.

"Why!?" Johnny begged as he shook the Mobian who was kneeling over him, "why did you wake me up?"

"They're not real," the raccoon insisted.

The memories had been torture enough, being told they weren't real only added to the pain.

"What?"

"The dreams," his partner went on, "when we… die, they're not real."

That went without saying, but was what they had shown him real?

Sitting up, Johnny rubbed the back of his head feeling for the source of his headache. It came in the form of sticky matted hair. Underneath was the gash from where the pavement had been kind enough to cushion his fall.

_I had a daughter._

"I got to see my daughter…" the man had the urge to say, _and even you were there, _he thought picking his head up_._

Although, he had no way of being certain. Even now, furry creatures of the same genius looked nearly identical to him. Besides even if his partner could remember he probably wouldn't admit it.

"Did you now?" the raccoon asked obviously uninterested before offering him a hand up off the ground.

"I think it was the day that I… I became whatever the hell I am now."

"You see what you want to see," the Mobian replied bluntly. "Your memories are gone and they aren't coming back anytime soon, same as mine."

Johnny followed the raccoon out of the alley, trailing as he regained some of his former composure.

_He's jealous,_ the man decided, _he doesn't remember anything from before._

"Her name was Rose."

"And that doesn't seem odd to you given your infatuation with that hedgehog? Johnny," the guardian said as he shook his head with disappointment. "Just listen to yourself."

Johnny paused as he began to ponder that coincidence. _He has it all backwards__._ _That must be why I don't mind her company… part of me still remembers my Rose._

"I even learned my name, my real one," the man went on regardless of how crazy any of it sounded.

Cautiously his partner eyed him, "Your best keeping that to yourself… even if it was a dream."

"Yeah, I am not sure I like it anyway," Johnny sighed.

"So, do you mind telling me what happened?" the raccoon finally asked.

He had almost forgotten. The memories of his past, real or otherwise still filled his head consuming every ounce of his attention.

"Julian," the man laughed as if he couldn't believe he was saying a dead man's name.

"Care to try again? He's been dead for close to a month. Just what did that little tumble do to you?"

_Besides make me realize why I hate Mobians, why I feel the overwhelming need to protect Amy, _"Nothing. I know who I saw."

"Have you been using again?"

Johnny stopped on a dime, starring at a street light in the distance, "Amy," he whispered.

Turning, he broke into a sprint towards her apartment.

He could hear the scrape of his partner's claws on the concrete sidewalk behind him, "Johnny, what the hell is going on?"

_He doesn't know the danger they're in._

Amy's door was fast approaching and Johnny turned to throw his shoulder into it at speed. There was a crunch as the deadbolt gave way followed shortly thereafter by sharp pain in his right arm.

The room was empty save for a pink hedgehog tucked away sleeping underneath the sheets of a bed in the far corner.

"Johnny," his partner barked, "what the hell are you doing?"

He ignored the Mobian.

"See, she's fine," the raccoon insisted.

"Where's Sonic?"

"How the hell should I know? He's the fastest thing alive, he could be anywhere."

"He was here!" Johnny shouted in a panic.

Approaching Amy he wondered why she hadn't woken up.

"What are you doing now?" his partner sighed.

"Why isn't she awake?"

Raising any eyebrow, the raccoon was finally curious enough to enter the apartment.

"Amy?" Johnny called out softly before shaking her side to side.

_No, not her too. _

His fingers went right to the soft part of her neck, hoping to find the beat of her heart.

"Is she alive?" the guardian asked in a voice almost devoid of any concern.

"Barely," Johnny replied before withdrawing his hand. "She's hardly breathing."

"Good, then we can go."

"Go? We can't leave her like this!"

"Of course we can, we're Guardians Johnny, it's our job to stay out of the way. Even if you wanted to I doubt The Source would let you carry her out of this room let alone anywhere safe."

Wrapping her up in the sheets, the slender man hoisted the Mobian into his arms half expecting to feel The Source clawing at his mind. However, nothing came, not even as he walked past his partner and back into the alley.

"How far do you think you're going to get before the pain becomes too much?" his partner called after him.

"I'll let you know when I actually feel it."

_Perhaps this is why The Source chose me?_

Cradling Ms. Rose like one might a child, Johnny walked into the night determined to succeed where he once failed. Leaving his partner behind he faded away into the night.

* * *

><p>The only other thing I want to add to my note at the beginning is the differences in time between this and chapter 6. You might notice the previous chapter took place after the events in this chapter. That's all on purpose, and hopefully stylistically is interesting and wasn't totally lost in the weeks I have been working on everything. If it is however, confusing, let me know. I have a habit of writing out of order to mix things up a bit. As always let me know what you think with a review.<p>

Cheers,

M.D


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